“Admission to God in Prayer”

“Admission to God in Prayer”

When a person is as hard-headed as I am, it is like pulling teeth to get an admission that they are wrong. We can blame hard-headedness, others or genetics (that may have a little to do with it). Hey! We can place blame all the way back to Adam and Eve if we want to. But, there’s a curious thing about blame and guilt, excuses don’t make us right with God.

Read 1 John 1:9 (NIV) Fill in the blanks:

“If we __________________ our ___________, He is ________________________ and ________ and will ____________________ us our sins and ____________ us from all ____________________________.”

If we take this verse and break it down, we will see that there are two subjects involved:

1. Us
2. God

We’ve begun to learn our role and God’s role in our lives as it relates to our prayers.  When we go to Him in prayer an essential part of it is our admission that we have sinned. I’ve rushed through this part or even ignored it. Can’t I just ask for forgiveness over anything I may have done and move on? Of course I can because God knows my sins. However, to have an effective prayer life I need to lay those sins, that He brings to my mind, before Him in true repentance.

So what is our role and what is God’s role listed in 1 John 1:9?  What do you think they are?

Our role is to: 

God’s role is to:

Our Role- Confession

Read Psalm 32:1 & 2. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are __________________________ whose sins are ____________________. Blessed is the man whose sin the __________ does not count ___________ him and in whose spirit there is no ______________________.”

The definition for this particular word “blessed” in Hebrew is “asrey” which means “happy.” The dictionary defines it as “fortunate, pleasurable.” 

Being forgiven of our sins is a pleasurable experience. We should consider ourselves fortunate because the debt we owe for our sins we cannot pay and God through Jesus has made payment for our sins. Not only that, when we are truthful about our sins, the corrosion of our spirits, caused by continued sin, is gone and we are restored. A tremendous weight is gone. When we confess our sins and the clean and unburden life is given, we experience pure delight. We are filled with unspeakable joy.

Read Psalm 32:3 & 4. Answer the following:

What happens when we keep silent about our sins?

Whose hand is heavy upon us? 

What is sapped away?

What are your thoughts about these two verses?

Have you ever experienced this? Explain.

It is not just because our own consciences weigh heavily upon us when we sin; it is the heavy hand of God. Our spirits recognize God whether we believe that God exists or not because when He created us He placed His eternal spirit within us. This is the part of us that longs to know God. The world would argue with this, but I believe our spirits recognize God. Sometimes this desire is buried deeply and might be so deep that our guilt is numbed. Those who walk with the Lord will feel this desire of the Lord. His Holy Spirit calls us. 

Read further in Psalm 32:5. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:

Then I ___________________________ my _________ to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will _____________ my __________________ to the Lord,” and You forgave the guilt of my sins.

Now take the underlined words in the passage you just filled in and fill in the blanks below with the word you think matches the definitions:

___________________: The Hebrew word for this is “hattat” which means “to sin, do wrong; lack obedience and sometimes habitual sinfulness.”

___________________: The Hebrew word for this is “yada” which means “to perceive, understand, know discern; to be familiar with, be aware of.”

___________________: The Hebrew word for this is “pesa” which means “to rebel or transgress. It denotes willful deviation from the path of righteousness, a premeditated crossing of the line of God’s law, a rebellious act of rejecting God’s authority.”

___________________: The Hebrew word for this is “yadah” which means “to speak out, confess; praise; to sing; to give thanks.”

In our role of confession, we must first acknowledge our sin. This literally means to perceive, understand and be aware of our lack of obedience. Our acknowledgment of this habitual sinfulness against God is the essential first step in having a right relationship with God. After we acknowledge our sin, which is admitting the truth of our sin to ourselves, we then confess our transgression to God. We literally verbalize our rebellious acts against God‘s authority.  In other words, we admit the truth about our sin to ourselves and then confess the truth about our rebellion against God to God.

Acknowledgement + Confession = A right relationship with God

God’s Role- Forgiveness

After we acknowledge our sin and confess our transgressions to God, God immediately forgives the guilt of our sins.  (See verse5b). 

Read Psalm 32:6-8. Answer the following:

What are the godly to do? Why?

What do you think “surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him” mean?

How is God described in verse seven?

What will He do for those who approach Him in prayer

In verse eight God promises that He will do what?

How can you apply this to your life?

God sets us apart as holy when we come to Him in obedience and give our lives to Him. He protects us in times of trouble and surrounds us with songs of deliverance. In a right relationship with God, He instructs us in His will. His council is perfect. God doesn’t want a bunch of mules that He has to bridle. God wants people who respond promptly to Him on their own.

Prayer Time

Go to your Prayer Journal and take this time to confess your sins to God. Ask Him to reveal anything in your life that He does not approve of. Ask Him to forgive you and lead you into better behavior that will only glorify Him. 

Discussion Questions

1. So if our role is to confess our sins to God and God’s role is to forgive us our sins, then why do we have such a hard time believing that we are forgiven and made right with God?

2. Being forgiven of our sins is a pleasurable experience because Christ Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven. Why do we often hide our sins and not confess them to Him? 

3. What does “God is our hiding place” mean to you?