my soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! [psalm 119:25]
when was the last time this was your prayer of confession.
“my soul clings to the dust” – there is a two fold confession here. 1) i am hanging on to this world. i am close to the ways of this world that are not your ways. 2) this has made my life close with death.
the wages of sin is death. [romans 6:23]
we may not immediately know physical death because of our sin, but we definitely experience all sorts of other deaths. we grow dull or dead to God’s beauty, that God is greater than sin. we grow dull or dead to how our sin affects, others, ourself, and our holy God. we grow dull or dead to holiness. we kill our witness, we kill relationships, we kill hope, and on and on. sin brings death in all sorts of manners. and, God promises because of our sin – we will also physically die. [genesis 3:19]
the prayer does not end at confession. confession always leads to repentance. a turning from sin and a turning to God. please, let your confession move from sin to Savior, from death to Life. hear the psalmist’s prayer. hear your God’s voice this morning.
“give me life according to your word!” – there it is. he turns from his sin, his clinging to this world and the death it has caused and he turns to his Savior, the Lord and begs for life.
you and i can only find life in the soul altering, heart transforming, power of God’s word that is empowered by the empty tomb of Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God. only in his empowered word – is there life that can reverse, redeem, and restore what sin has brought.
today, what does the Lord already see in your heart and actions that need to be confessed in this manner – “my soul clings to the dust”?
cry it out now …
today, don’t let your pray end in confession. turn to your Savior, your Life. he is waiting not only to forgive but to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. (1 john 1:9) he is waiting to restore, to renew, to make whole what sin attempts to kill.
~ john ryan