Hope Restored

David acknowledged & confessed his sin to God, and he shows us today that if we are going to be free & have hope restored, then we must do likewise.

Hope Restored

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom."

(Psalm 51:5-6)

In verse 5, we see the doctrine of original sin. We are born with a sin nature, and we are sinners by nature and by choice. Man is not inherently good. Show me a toddler who does not know how to misbehave and sin!

In verse 6, David knows that God desires truth, not lies and deception, and God will teach David wisdom. Sin does not just manifest itself, but is first conceived in the heart and mind, and then is actuated into deeds or words (see James 1:14-15).

David acknowledged and confessed his sin to God, and he shows us today that if we are going to be free and have hope restored, then we too will have to confess what God already knows, ask for His forgiveness, and make things right. Then we will begin to experience the favor and blessings of God.

I have a pastor friend who is serving the Lord faithfully in another state, and God is richly blessing his life and ministry. It is so neat to see the hand and favor of God upon him. I listened to him preach on Psalm 51, and he told the true story of when he was in seminary and cheated on a personal evangelism test in Roy Fish's class. He said for 3-4 days he felt terrible and finally scheduled an appointment with Dr. Fish. To hear him tell it is really powerful and funny too. He beat himself up pretty bad for cheating in seminary, of all places! But Dr. Fish listened to him, forgave him, and assigned a 20-point penalty. My friend said even as he began confessing his sin, he could feel the burden lifting off of him.

We all have similar stories, do we not? I remember when I was a senior in high school, I threw pebbles at my fellow classmates during a film in botany and zoology. The principal came to our class and asked for confessions, but I did not say a word, and neither did my accomplice. But next period, it was too much to bear, so he and I went to the principal's office and confessed. No punishment the principal could have doled out could match the pain of a guilty conscience.

If you are carrying a heavy weight of sin and not living with hope, joy, and peace, then confess your sins to God, repent, and be restored to God. The Lord will forgive and bless you, but first you must confess your sins to Him.