Revcort's Ramblings

Scripture Focus

“I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame…” —Daniel 9:4-7a (ESV)

Devotional Thought

Confessing our sins can be difficult. We may recognize that we have done wrong and still hesitate to acknowledge it plainly. Pride urges us to defend ourselves, fear makes us reluctant to expose our failures, and shame may persuade us to avoid God altogether. Daniel’s prayer shows us how to approach the Lord honestly. Before naming the sins of his people, Daniel acknowledges the greatness and faithfulness of the God against whom they have sinned. He begins with the Lord’s character, remembering that He keeps His covenant and remains steadfast in His love. That knowledge gives Daniel a foundation upon which to confess.

By this point in the book, we have seen Daniel’s faithfulness under difficult circumstances. He has resisted compromise, served with integrity, and continued praying when prayer placed his life in danger. Yet when he approaches God in chapter 9, he does not present those experiences as reasons that God owes him an answer. He does not remind the Lord how much better he has behaved than others. Instead, he acknowledges God’s holiness and admits his people’s guilt, including himself in their confession. A faithful life has taught Daniel to depend upon God, and that dependence shapes the way he prays.

Daniel describes the Lord as the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love. Israel’s circumstances were painful, but God had not become unreliable. The people had broken His commandments, disregarded His warnings, and experienced the consequences of their rebellion. Their exile did not mean that God had forgotten His promises or failed to govern His people righteously. Daniel recognizes that righteousness belongs to the Lord, while shame belongs to those who have sinned against Him. Honest confession requires us to acknowledge that distinction. We cannot rightly repent while implying that God has treated us unfairly or that His commands are the source of our trouble.

Consider how directly Daniel names the wrongdoing: the people have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned aside from God’s commandments. He also acknowledges that they have refused to listen to the prophets who spoke in God’s name. There is no attempt to make rebellion sound harmless. He does not explain it away as an unfortunate misunderstanding or place responsibility entirely upon someone else. His words express agreement with God’s judgment concerning their actions. This is an essential part of confession: we acknowledge our sin as sin and accept responsibility for what we have done.

We often find ourselves attaching an explanation to an admission of guilt. We spoke harshly, but someone provoked us. We were dishonest, but the circumstances were difficult. We neglected a responsibility, but other people neglected theirs as well. Circumstances can help explain the pressures we faced, yet they do not make our wrongdoing righteous. When we bring our sins before God, we need to resist the impulse to turn confession into a defense of ourselves. The Lord already knows every circumstance, every motive, and every choice. We can speak truthfully before Him without trying to control how He sees us.

Daniel’s repeated use of “we” deserves our attention. He loves his people, grieves over their condition, and identifies himself with them in prayer. He does not stand at a distance condemning everyone else while presenting himself as innocent. Later in the chapter, he expressly speaks of confessing both his own sin and the sin of his people. His example challenges us when we pray for our churches, communities, or nation. It is possible to become deeply concerned about public wrongdoing while remaining reluctant to confront private sin. We may speak forcefully about dishonesty, pride, or disobedience in others and excuse those same attitudes in ourselves. Prayerful concern for others should be accompanied by an honest examination of our own hearts.

Such examination does not require us to deny the dignity God has given us. We are His image-bearers, and human life possesses worth because of its relationship to the Creator. Nevertheless, that dignity gives us no claim to forgiveness based upon our own righteousness. We have sinned against the God who made us, and we cannot undo that guilt by pointing to our better moments. Scripture teaches that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Whatever good we might mention, we cannot place the Lord under obligation to grant us His favor. Our hope must rest in His mercy.

Daniel makes that dependence explicit later in his prayer. He appeals to God’s great mercy rather than the righteousness of the people. This helps us understand why he can confess so openly. He is approaching a God who is righteous and merciful, whose faithfulness provides reason to seek forgiveness. Confession brings our guilt into the open, where we stop defending it and entrust ourselves to the Lord’s compassion. We do not need to convince God that our sin is insignificant. We need to acknowledge its seriousness and rely upon the mercy He has revealed.

For Christians, that mercy is displayed most fully in Jesus Christ. The Father sent His Son to save sinners, and Christ bore our sins at the cross. Our forgiveness rests upon His finished work, received through faith, rather than upon an impressive record of personal goodness. That gives us both a reason to repent and confidence to approach God. The cross shows us the seriousness of sin and the greatness of divine love. We should never use grace as an excuse to continue in rebellion, but neither should we allow shame to persuade us that we must hide from the Savior who calls us to come to Him.

Perhaps there is something you have been reluctant to confess. You may have acknowledged it vaguely while continuing to justify it, or you may have avoided prayer because you are ashamed. Daniel’s example invites you to begin with what is true about God. He is holy, faithful, and merciful. Then speak honestly about what is true of you. Name the sin, accept responsibility, and seek His forgiveness, asking Him to help you turn from it. You can approach Him because His mercy is greater than your ability to make a convincing defense. The God who hears your confession already knows your heart, and in Christ He has provided the grace upon which your hope depends.

Reflection Questions

1. How does remembering God’s faithfulness and mercy help me approach Him honestly?
2. What sin have I been explaining away rather than confessing without excuse?
3. Do I examine my own heart as seriously as I criticize the sins of others?
4. Am I relying upon Christ’s finished work or upon my own goodness for confidence before God?

Closing Prayer Father, You are great and holy, faithful in Your promises and steadfast in Your love. We confess that we have sinned against You in our thoughts, words, actions, and neglected responsibilities. Forgive us for defending what we should confess and for examining others more carefully than we examine ourselves. Teach us to acknowledge our sins honestly and turn from them. Thank You that our hope rests in Your mercy, revealed through Jesus Christ, rather than in our own righteousness. Help us approach You with humility, trust, and grateful hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.