Friday, September 1, 2023
Prayers of Confession – Psalm 38 Submitted by Kay Crumley
The steadfast love of God toward us is never ending. He is loyal and faithful toward His children.
I wonder how that can be, yet we find verses that support that fact. We are guilty of sin because we have a sinful nature. We desire our own will over God’s. We stray from His teaching leaving ourselves open to the traps the Enemy, Satan, puts in our path. He is the father of lies, looking to destroy God’s children. 1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. As sinners we are separated from God meaning we are separated from fellowship with Him. We must admit to our sin and turn to Him. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. We are promised, as believers, that He will forgive us but we are required to confess our sins to Him so He can purify us.
Psalm 38 is a Psalm of petition that David wrote to God begging Him to be merciful and to protect him from his enemies. In verses 1-3 David implores God not to punish him as he deserves. Vs 4-5 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. He doesn’t list his sins but shares the anguish he feels because of those sins. He goes on for several verses describing the physical pain resulting from the despair he experiences because he believes God isn’t hearing him and had removed His protection from him. In verse 15 Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God. David declares his trust in God to hear and answer his plea. He is unable to get out of the trouble he is in and needs God to intervene against his enemies who are trying to destroy him. Finally in the last to verses of this chapter, 21 Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior. David pours out his need for and reliance on God. He is surrendering his situation to God since only God can help him. David began this Psalm admitting to his sin, confessing his need for God to intervene, and is now promising to wait for God to answer.
We are to follow that example of confession and repentance. We sometimes wait until we are brought to our knees, at the bottom of the well, before we admit to ourselves why we are in such despair. We then must confess our sins, admit our need, and place our trust in God to provide the relief we need. Just as David, we want Him to come quickly. Yet, we must wait for His timing and that may not be the same as ours. The good news is, we have promises, also in Psalms, that He will answer our petitions.
Psalm 32:10 promises God’s unfailing love to those who trust in Him. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. What peace I feel when I am surrounded by, wrapped in His unfailing love.
Psalm 51:1 is a verse that gives me hope beyond my own ability to understand His love. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. His unfailing love and compassion will erase, blot out, my sin. He removes it as if it never happened. Are we capable of doing that for those who have hurt us? Can we put our hurt out of our minds as if it never happened? Rest assured we are promised that God, with His love and compassion does that for us every time we genuinely confess and seek His forgiveness. Psalm 130:7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. Ps 130:7. We are His children, just as Israel was in the Old Testament, when we are adopted into His family through the power of Jesus to save us and make us children of God. We have the promise of full redemption. I thank God for the promises in His Word and for the power of redemption through Jesus Christ our redeemer.
Confession connects us to forgiveness and allows us to walk in freedom, frees us from carrying our sins, and freedom from worry. It provides for a deeper walk with the Lord.
