PRAYER ROOMS
Tuesdays (online only today)
PRAYER GUIDE
“And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”
When our kids were little, when they did something wrong we would give them a time out on the staircase. We usually made them sit for the same number of minutes as their age. Before the time out, we would tell them why they were getting the time out. Afterwards, we would have a reconciliation ritual.
“Silas” or “Noah,” why did you get this time out? They would tell us.
Then, we would ask them, “what do you say?”
“I’m sorry.”
And we would tell them, “I love you and I forgive you.” And then we would give them a hug and tell them “Now go play.”
The reason we did this ritual is because human beings often fail to understand two things about their sin. First, we fail to recognize the seriousness of our sin. God takes sin seriously. Every sin is first and foremost committed against Him. David addresses God in Psalm 51, “against you, you alone, have I sinned…” Even though he sinned against Uriah and against Bathsheba. When we sin, it does not change God’s love for us, but it does create relational distance between us and God. Just as a child’s misbehavior creates emotional distance with their parents. This is why Jesus instructs us to pray (every time we pray), “forgive us our sins.” It is because Jesus understands that honesty with God about our sin is critical to experiencing ongoing intimacy with God. Unconfessed (and unrepented) sin prevents us from experiencing the intimacy with God we were made for. When you pray, do you confess your sin? David prays in Psalm 139, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in your way everlasting.” Revival, whether personal or corporate, always begins with repentance. And the depth of the revival depends in large part on the depth of the repentance.
The second thing humans fail to understand about God is that he is merciful. 1 John 1:9 says this: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Over and over, the Bible proclaims that God is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. He does not treat us as our sins deserve.” (Psalm 103) Our ritual with the boys after time out was intended to communicate both these truths – their sin is serious AND when they confess it and repent we embrace them and forgive them. And nothing they do can change our love for them. And so it is with God.
Friend, there is nothing you can do to make God love you any less or any more than he does. He loves you with an everlasting love. And, because he is a holy God, carrying or cherishing sin in our hearts puts emotional and relational distance between you and Him. The ultimate solution to this distance was Jesus atoning death on the cross, that paid for all our sins. But in order to avail ourselves of this and close the emotional and relational distance, we must confess our sins to the Lord…and then receive his embrace, his words to us (the same as our words to our children). “I love you and I forgive you.” And perhaps even: “Go and Play”
For Reflection/Prayer:
- Ask the Holy Spirit to search you…your thoughts, your words, your actions. What you have done that you should not have done. What you have failed to do which you should have done.
- Confess these to God and repent and renounce them.
- Receive God’s mercy, love, grace, and forgiveness.
- Consider where in your day you regularly keep accounts with God and pray for forgiveness, is this a habit for you. What do you need to do to make it one.
- Sometimes, it helps us to confess our sins to another human being, in addition to God. There is something powerful about hearing another person receive our confession and remind us that we are forgiven. Is there someone you need to confess your sins to?
In Our Time 