For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name. – Daniel 9:18b-19
I’ve been thinking a lot about confession. We do it less now than ever within the Church, yet it is a spiritual cornerstone for a greater understanding of the identity of God as well as us. It answers both who we are and who is God. It works as a type of soul cleanse that is the precursor to God interceding in our lives. Confession also unites us with thousands of years of rich history. Our family of faith has demonstrated in and out of Scripture the benefit and downright necessity for such humble admittance to God.
In Daniel 9, we find the book’s namesake interceding for him and his people. He doesn’t simply call out the sin of Israel as something he is distant from, but unites his deeds to theirs. He mentions previously how “shame” belongs to the people in which he is a part of. He is implicating his guilt in the sin of a far off people. In the verses above, we see how Daniel, regardless of this sin, still identifies his people as God’s. This is a beautiful illustration of the broken restraints of sin. No longer does it hold power over our identity. So in confession, the saint is reinforcing the mercy of a loving Father as well as the impotence of sin.
It is no coincidence that our faith starts with confession; an admittance we are helpless. Our faith is then continually built on this principle and grows with our growing discomfort with the ways of this world. Confession is dragging the darkest habits and thoughts into the light to starve them of their strength. It is the truest form of soul care. When we rest in the mercy of our Lord, we can freely express our weaknesses knowing they will bring us into deeper communion with the winner of souls.
Dear Lord, forgive me of my anger. Forgive me for not loving as I should and for not taking sin as seriously as I should. Forgive me for being complicit in the sin of our nation and for not sharing you with those around me. Grant me your mercy and grace as I long to live a better faith story today. Amen.
Matt simon blog 