Prayer: A Conversation with God - Week 5 - 2/2/25

Psalm 32
A Maskil of David. 1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Nehemiah 1:1–11 
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” 4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king. 

My goal today is for us to connect the dots: A lifestyle of confession/repentance & a lifestyle that God blesses. 

David (Psalm 32): Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven….

He is expressing the blessing it is to be forgiven of sin and made righteous before God.  He explains that he knows what it is like to hide his sin and the devastation that it caused.  The effects of sin were felt deep in his body, and he realized being in an adversarial relationship with God was extremely painful. 

Nehemiah (Ch1): I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 

Nehemiah gives us another aspect of confession - confessing for himself & others.  He is not above everyone else but includes himself as one needing forgiveness.  The Israelites have been in captivity for more than a generation, and when word reaches Nehemiah about the condition of those that remained in Jerusalem, he is crushed. 
He does not ask God why but understands that this was the result of sin, the sin of the whole nation, and it was beyond time to confess and repent so that God would restore them as a people and nation.

Forgiveness is better - a lifestyle of confession.

Psalm 32:1–2 “1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

The blessed life is one that lives constantly forgiven. A rhythm of confession keeps us forgiven. When pride and arrogance take root,  we are tempted to not see our own sin or outright ignore it.
Some sin is obvious, some sin we are blind to, some sin is hidden (Psalm 19:12-13).  

Becoming aware of your sin is a skill that needs to be practiced just like any other skill.  When learning to embrace a lifestyle of confession, don’t try to pin down individual sins as much, just start by acknowledging that I'm sinful.

Lord’s Prayer teaches us this (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭13)‬ ‭
“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread, 
and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. 
And lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil.”

When awareness is low, confession is low.

The effects of unconfessed sin:  We suffer, they suffer.

David suffering: Psalm 32:3–4 “3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah”

All Israel suffering: Nehemiah 1:8 “8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples,”

Charles Spurgeon: Only let a man once feel sin for half an hour, really feel its tortures, and I warrant you he would prefer to dwell in a pit of snakes than to live with his sins.

People closest to us suffering: 

Jonah 1:11–12 “11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.””

The cycle of unconfessed sin is denial, ignorance, pride.  This cycle keeps us separated from God and each other.  The unreconciled relationships both with God and others are due to the issue of unconfessed sin. Unconfessed sin is the great separator. 

Real Confession (No Blame, No Excuses)

Shortcut: spare the explanation. God is not asking why we sinned.
God didn’t ask for an explanation from Adam and Eve, but it’s human nature to try and explain away our own sin.  If excuses and blame accompany your confession, it is not real.  Halfway confession will not produce God’s blessing.

Psalm 32:5–6 “5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.”

David was tired of hiding and not taking responsibility. Why do we wait until the pain is so great? Freedom is on the other side of confession.

Nehemiah 1:4–7 “4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.”

Nehemiah doesn’t blame anyone or give excuses.  

Jonah makes no excuses to the men he is with. He simply says, "This is my fault."

Play offense with confession.  Most of us play defense with confession.  The Lord's Prayer is an offensive prayer.  We wait until we are confronted or caught (defensive confession).  Offensive confession is knowing God’s Word, knowing our own sin, asking for forgiveness daily. 

Nehemiah 1:7 “7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.”

Both David and Nehemiah could go on the offensive because they had a relationship with God and knew his word.

You cannot guess at what sin is, and you cannot simply go by cultural acceptance.  God determined from the beginning what would be acceptable and pleasing to him.  He did not leave us to guess but to be sure through his word and time in his presence. 

Sin is also not up for debate between you and God. There is no negotiation. This is not a deal to be made. God has determined what holiness is, and our only choice is how close we want to get. There are no limits with God, only our willingness to confess and then resist sin.

The Results: God’s Blessing & Deliverance
A lifestyle of confession/repentance & a lifestyle that God blesses 

Unconfessed sin is the thing that keeps us separated from God & from others.

Psalm 32:10–11 “10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”

Nehemiah 1:9–11 “9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.”

There is a tangible blessing that comes from confession and repentance. It comes no other way. You cannot work your way into forgiveness. It is God alone who forgives; we simply uncover ourselves before God and confess.

If you want freedom, this is where you start: with God and his community. 

Without confession, there’s no repentance. Without repentance, there’s no forgiveness. Without forgiveness, you will never be free from your sin.

Get to confession early & often. Don’t wait until the pain is too great to bear.  Don’t wait for the other person to go first.  Don’t wait until you get caught.

Let’s build confession into our lives and experience the blessing of God.

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