Corporate confession
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed… –Daniel 9:4a (NIV)
In the ninth chapter of the book of Daniel, the prophet had an epiphany. As Daniel read the words of Jeremiah, written a couple generations earlier, he found that the exile of God’s people was to last seventy years. Some quick math told him that timetable was fast approaching. But he also knew the words of Leviticus 26. God would bring the remnant of His people back to their homeland when they confessed their sin and turned back to Him.
But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. –Leviticus 26:40-42 (NIV)
Daniel took the lead in that confession with what may be one of the most beautiful prayers ever recorded. God had not abandoned His people. He had not broken faith. He had given them every opportunity to repent. When they refused to do so, He did exactly what He said He would. Confession isn’t something we do for God. It is merely recognizing and agreeing with the truth He already knows. It aligns our hearts with His and places us in a spiritual location to receive His mercy and blessing.
Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. –Daniel 9:7 (NIV)
Corporate confession is an acknowledgment that each of us, individually, is part of a larger group that has failed to effectively reflect the character and glory of God. Though we may not be personally guilty of each item in the list of transgressions, we participate in the consequences of the actions of our brethren. This includes the shame of being painted with the same brush as the larger group and the need to explain why and how God is not like some of the Christians people have seen and known.
Give ear, our God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your Name. –Daniel 9:18-19 (NIV)
We practiced corporate confession in the worship assembly this week, taking note of some things we have witnessed, known of, heard about, and perhaps been guilty of. Whether personally partaking or not, these are areas where we have collectively fallen short, thereby harming our witness and making it harder for the world to see Jesus. Look and consider. Come and confess. Repent and re-commit. The God of mercy stands ready to strengthen and restore.
Lord, where we have neglected our devotion to you, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have accepted materialism and greed as a normal way of life, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have failed to love our neighbors because they look or speak differently than us, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have turned a cold shoulder to the poor while tending to our own comforts, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have worshiped human leaders instead of our risen Savior, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have abused women and children or enabled such abuse through our silence, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have embraced lust and sexual sin, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have treated the sin struggles of others as more sinful than our own, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have used Your church as a political instrument, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have exchanged Your Word as our guide for some other guide, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have mis-used Your Word through neglect, ignorance, or selective application to bolster our own agenda, we ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, where we have withheld the gospel from the lost, whether out of fear or an uncaring spirit, we ask Your forgiveness.