Confessions of a Wanna Be Confessor

I often forget the power of confession.

I forget how the prayers I send up begging forgiveness actually wash me whiter than snow.

I often wonder whether or not God gets tired of yet another screw-up. I wonder whether or not he feels disappointment so keen when I forget who He is and how much He loves me.

I wonder if God ever gets tired of hearing me list my faults, begging time and time again for His compassion and mercy to fill me. I wonder if we stop confessing because we see our confessions as a limitation.

So we keep silent.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. - Psalm 32:3 ESV

What if we could change our paradigm? What if we saw confession as part of our journey? What if we embraced those moments when our dry and brittle bones finally reach for Living Water and surrender to the power of confession?

If we strip the shame away from confession and see it as an opportunity for joy it just might make us feel as if we could touch the heart of God and know His kindness. We could know, with the words of our mouths and the posture of our hearts He shows us the purpose He has for us.

Confession isn’t about labeling. Confession isn’t about judge, jury and a guilty verdict. When we reduce confession to an accounting of wrongs for which we must be punished we reduce the power of the cross and the Risen Lord.

To avoid confession is to admit that we don’t need Jesus and nothing could be further from the truth.

We’re human.

We’re going to mess up.

Every. Single. Day.

We need Jesus.

Every. Single. Day.

Confession is the very essence of reconciliation.

Confession is not about punishment - that’s already been taken care of on the cross.

It’s about experiencing the joy of a deeply personal and intimate relationship with God. It is in our confessions, in the sacred space of our most intimate connection with Him that He reminds us our freedom has been bought and paid for.

Engaging in the concrete act of confession becomes the road map for our journey of reconciliation. It will hurt - it will bruise our pride. It may even change our relationships with others in ways that have less of them in our lives - but it is where we start.

For in our confession God creates a hiding place for our hearts. There in the shadow of His wing He will -

… envelop [us] with songs that remind [us we are] free. Psalm 32:7 VOICE

With His voice singing over us He tenderly teaches us where we should go and how we should get there…

… and it all starts with the words of our mouths.