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| The Prayer of Confession (The Prayer Series by N.Smith) | Email | Print |
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Date Sep 4, 2010 Previous
By N.SmithWash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Psalms 51:2-3
It started as an English garden earlier this summer. Beautiful purple Trumpets , pink Foxglove, white Cone flowers, yellow Daisies, and ground cover splashed the front entryway garden. The uniform Knockout red rose bushes laced the wall behind the iridescent palette. The view was breathtaking and inviting. As July came, weeds began to appear. The gardener carefully got on her knees to pull out the weeds but left behind the thicker ones. She thought that she can come back later. Besides, the patch still looked great. By August, our gardener made a trip out of town and it rained a lot. She took a mental note to weed the garden as soon as she returned. However, other things took precedence. By early September, the gardener took a walk. As she raised her eyes, she saw only overgrown weeds. The red roses were no longer in the view. The garden ornaments were lost. She was aghast. She was ashamed. She was saddened that she had neglected the beautiful garden. With teary eyes, she made her way to the garden and deliberately pulled the weeds. .
This illustration reminds me of the situation that King David was facing. He had lost his judgement. He was in an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. His once simple, industrious life was now unrecognizable and filled with lies and disgusting plots. After the prophet Nathan reveals the hidden sins in David’s life, he falls down and cries over his sins. Psalms 51 records his confession. He begs for mercy. He asks that his sins are blotted away. He is aware of each of them. He no longer wants to hide them. He wants to change course. He realizes the magnitude of his poor choices.
Although we may not all be in the same situation as David, we are also dealing with the outcome of our sins. It may have started with a little white lie. It seemed innocuous at first. Now, we have lost all our scruples and judgement. We are on an unrecognizable course. Perhaps it is through a Nathan or an accidental view that we finally stop. We realize that our connection to the Lifegiver has been severed. This is the painful truth. Like David in Psalms 51, we have the opportunity to pray. We can safely acknowledge our sins before God. We don't have to hold anything back. Stick it out even if this path is painful. There is so much to be gained. Our mangled life will take form again just as the gardener is able to unveil the hidden breathtaking garden again .
My Prayer: Dear Father, I don’t know how it started. My once beautiful life is overtaken by the poor choices that I've made. I need your help to yank each sin out of my life. Amen.
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