Adoration and Confession

So often in his psalms, David would begin with an acknowledgement of the greatness of God. I think it is important for us as well to look at the attributes of God, to consider His omnipotence, His unlimited power; to consider His omniscience, His unlimited knowledge; and to consider His omnipresence, the fact that He is present everywhere. We should take time to think about these things, to contemplate them, and to get our thoughts in order before we offer a word of petition to our Father.

This brings us to confession. The closer we draw to God, the more we sense our own sinfulness. When we spend time in the presence of God, we become aware of your shortcomings. God’s Holy Spirit never convicts us of sin to drive us away, but to draw us near. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

To confess means to say, “Lord, I agree with you. I have sinned. I am sorry. Show me what is wrong.” We should want to see all barriers removed that would separate us from Him.

If you honestly can’t think of any sins to confess, then you could pray, as David did, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me . . . ” (Psalm 139:23–24).

We can pray the most beautiful prayers, but if our hearts are not right before God and there is unconfessed sin in our lives, they will go no higher than the ceiling. So confession of sin is essential in prayer.