The Significance Of Confession
I’m always so amazed how it’s possible to read verses in chapter context time and time again and skip right over their significance until someone points it out by using it in a particular context. That’s what happened when I heard someone refer to Psalm 32:7 this morning, which says You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. What an awesome encouragement it is to know that the Lord is surrounding us with songs of deliverance! And that’s especially true when we feel like we’ve made a total mess of our lives and marriages; when we think we’ve messed things up so bad there’s no hope. Fortunately, the entire chapter of Psalm 32 provides awesome encouragement and instruction, because it says:
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD “—and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. 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. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
The good news is that getting to the place of recognizing our mistakes and what WE did wrong is a VERY significant step in marriage restoration, because when we feel like we’ve made such a mess of things, we’ll finally be led to confess as Psalm 38:18 says, I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. And as Proverbs 28:13 assures us, He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. In Psalm 32:3-4, David reveals what happens when we refuse to acknowledge and confess our sin, because it says When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. And I know that’s something most of us can relate to, because as long as we insist on focusing on our husbands’ sin and refuse to deal with our own, that will continue to describe our lives. So we need to take the warning in verse 6 very seriously, because there WILL come a time when it’s too late for prayer and the Lord won’t be found. And my experience in marriage restoration ministry teaches me that happens in most cases when women refuse to examine the sin in their own lives, because they’re so focused on everything their husbands have done wrong, which means they won’t receive the blessings and benefits that ONLY confession provides. It’s not that God can’t be found or that He won’t listen to our prayers anymore, but unless we do acknowledge and confess our sins, until we’re truly troubled by them, we are at great risk of joining the ranks of “standers” who stand no more, whose time for confession and prayer have passed and who no longer seek the Lord for the restoration of their marriages.
Sadly, Psalm 32:9 describes most of us, because it says 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. Prior to the turmoil in our marriages, we did not understand the place God insists on having in our lives and marriages and had just as little understanding of our godly roles as wives, so the Lord is using the circumstances we’re in now like a bit and bridle to bring us into right relationship with Him. So praise the Lord for the assurance in Psalm 32:5, which says Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD “— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah And then we have Romans 10:10, which says For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. And what a most awesome promise we have in 1 John 1:9, which assures us that If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. And then, having been purified from ALL unrighteousness, we can rely on the powerful promise found in James 5:16, which says Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. And we all know the significance of powerful and effective prayer as we stand for the restoration of our marriages! So we can not afford to let failure to examine our own lives and actions for sin, or our failure to acknowledge and confess them, hinder our prayers and the forgiveness, mercy, protection and deliverance God promises. And when we finally understand the things we’ve done wrong and turned to the Lord in confession, we can hide in Him, trust Him for protection, and hear the AWESOME songs of deliverance He IS singing around us!