“Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!'” (II Samuel 12:7)
When the prophet Nathan pointed his finger at David and told him his sins were known by God, it shook David to the core. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, Uriah, to hide it. He had foolishly convinced himself that out of sight meant out of mind until Nathan reminded him that God knew his sins.
As David sought the Lord about his guilt he discovered the consequences of unconfessed sin and wrote about it in Psalm 32. He emphasized that conviction of such sin can make you hurt. “When I kept silent,” he later admitted, “my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.” (Psalm 32:3) Interesting, isn’t it? We know that sin ultimately kills, but what we don’t always understand is it can make you hurt along the way. That joint ache may have more to do with how you’re living as opposed to how long you’ve lived! Not only that such hidden sins can zap your strength, “For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.” (Psalm 32:4)
When David finally succumbed to the power of conviction, confessed his sins to God, and received forgiveness he exclaimed, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:2) Indeed, there is such relief and freedom when we are freed from the burden of sin.
As Christians, we need to be careful when it comes to sin. You can’t read this account and think that David’s sins needed to be confessed because they were more grievous than ours. All sin distances us from God. He makes no distinction in the Bible. What we may see as small sins grieve God just as much as David’s sins. There is no difference. Don’t put it off when the Spirit of God brings convictions about your life, bring it to God and ask for forgiveness and know the joy of peace with the Lord. Come clean with the Almighty “For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when you may be found.” (Psalm 32:6) While there are no limits to God’s forgiveness, the longer we wait to confess our sins, the farther it distances us from Him. In short, our relationship can grow cold.
When we come clean, confession is not a once a week pact of renewals but God cleans us and leaves our spirits pure before him and those sins are never to be brought up again! Never forget that with God “There is forgiveness with you…For with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is abundant redemption.” (Psalm 130:4, 7)
Pastor Brunner is the founder and director of Jim Brunner Ministries
