Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.”And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

Psalm 32:5

Psalm 32 expresses David’s joy in experiencing the freedom of God’s forgiveness. But, for a while, David did not rejoice because he refused to confess his sin (v. 3). God’s tough but gracious discipline brought David to the point that he laid everything before the Lord without holding back. He stopped trying to hide his guilt from God (v. 5). The result of his full confession was God’s forgiveness, which led to David’s rejoicing: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!” (v. 1).

I have seen this sort of scenario play out in many lives. As a pastor, I have been privileged to listen to people who, after years of struggling with guilt, have finally been able to confess their sin to God. The resulting experience of forgiveness and peace often leads to exultant joy.

Often, the very sins that haunt us the most are the ones we have the hardest time confessing. Our shame over our failure keeps us from telling God the truth of what we have done. Yet, by the power of his Spirit, when we are set free to be honest about our worst offenses, then we are finally able to know the transforming power of divine forgiveness. We can experience in real-time the truth of 1 John 1:8-9: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 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.” From all wickedness!

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When have you experienced the transforming power of forgiveness? Are you being dragged down by guilt because you have not confessed certain sins? What keeps you from confessing? What helps you to be more honest with God in your confession?

PRAYER: O Lord, how I thank you for your forgiveness. There is little in life more wonderful than the knowledge that you truly forgive me, not just for the “little stuff,” but for the “big stuff” as well.

Yet you have required us to confess our sins to you so that we might experience your forgiveness. Through Christ, full forgiveness is ours. Yet when we hold back from telling you our sins, we close our hearts to the wonder of your cleansing. So help me, Lord, to tell you the truth about myself. Even and especially when I feel ashamed about my sin and am tempted to keep quiet about it, help me to speak openly to you, so that I might know the freedom and joy of forgiveness.

Most of all, Lord, I thank you for taking my sin and guilt upon yourself, offering righteousness and freedom in exchange. All praise be to you, O God, for the forgiveness I have through your grace in Christ. Amen.