A picture is worth a thousand words. Before and After…
Before: My unconfessed sin weighed me down so that I was helpless. “…your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”
Then: I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD “— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” !!!
After: Through confession I was set free from the burden of guilt. “Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.”
I hope you don’t find the images too silly. Unfortunately, we can be like donkeys sometimes: “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.”
Sometimes we stubbornly hold on to sins, refusing to humble ourselves and confess them to God. However, the reality of that kind of stubborn pride is as foolish and ridiculous as the first picture. When we confess our sins, God relieves us from a load of sin and guilt, so that we can be free like the second picture. Jump for joy! Jesus already carried our sin and guilt. We don’t need to. Confess!
Don’t know how to confess? Well, the psalms show us how. There is a special kind of lament psalm called a “penitential lament.” They show us how to confess. If they aren’t well worn psalms in our Bible, then we’re probably carrying too much weight.
Kip
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