A Child’s Confession

I can remember being confronted with a certain dilemma several times when I was growing up. My mom would have caught me in a crime (being a disobedient or rebellious son) and my mom would tell me that I would need to personally confess the whole thing to my father when he got home from work.

I would dread the thought of my dad’s car pulling into the driveway. I was fearful that my confession of guilt and disobedience would bring certain wrath and punishment, and sometimes it did bring both. But most of the time something different happened, something unexpected to me.

Revealing and confessing my disobedience and rebellion to my father opened the door for something other than wrath and punishment. Revealing and confessing my transgressions to my dad brought an unexpected closeness and reconciliation between us. My confessions didn’t move us further apart. No, my confessions brought us closer together, while at the same time reshaping my character.

As a child, I didn’t realize that hiding or attempting to hide my sins from my father would create a separation and distance between us. Time went by and I married and had children of my own (2 boys and 1 girl). It was at that point that I was able to see things from a father’s perspective. As a father, I wanted my children to remain close to me by being completely open and honest with me. I didn’t want anything to come between us.

That brings me to this convicting Psalm (probably written by King David).

Psalm 66:16-18 (NLT)
Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me.
17 For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. 18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. 20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

Unconfessed and unrepentant sin and rebellion creates a distance between us and God. Pride and arrogance are the tools of Satan that keep us from the confession and repentance that restores our broken and distant relationships. This is true with earthly fathers and children, and it is also true with our Heavenly Father.

1 John 1:8-10 (NLT)
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,
Terry Cooper
Lead Minister
502-859-5804