Scripture to Read: Daniel 9:4–19
As we examine Daniel’s prayer, we read Daniel’s confession of sin for the nation of Israel. Daniel said in Daniel 9:4–6, “I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed…we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.” Confession should be a continual part of our prayer life to stay in right fellowship with our Lord. Notice I did not say to stay in right relationship with our Lord. As Christians, when we surrendered our lives to Christ, our relationship with God as Father, Son, and Spirit was set in stone. We were sealed by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21–22, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30), and we belong to God for eternity. But staying in right fellowship with God through Christ depends on us passionately pursuing our Lord and His Word daily and confessing any sin we may commit. God tells us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Since we are completely forgiven of all our sins (past, present, and future) through Christ (Colossians 1:13–14, Colossians 2:13–14), we’re not asking God for anything. Instead, we’re agreeing with God by confessing our sins and then thanking Him for the forgiveness we already have through Christ.
Challenge & Application
• Why is confession such an important part of staying in right fellowship with our Lord?
• How do we know that we’re not confessing to get forgiveness, but we’re confessing to stay in right fellowship with God?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!