Psalm 55:12-14
12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend;
14 We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.
Confession is such a cleansing discipline for all involved. To come clean about something not only washes you, by God’s grace, but it releases those whom you have wronged from perils. Acknowledging our sin to God is absolutely precious, but we must acknowledge our wrong to those around us too, those whom we have sinned against. The Bible tells us that
12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. 13 But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; 14 We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.
God showed me I was discouraging My precious husband, whom I loved. He showed me that my words were tearing him down. God told me to go to my husband, Bruce, to read the above verses to him, and to confess my harmful way of speaking to him. I got up immediately and went to him, I was so grieved at what the Lord had shown me. I did exactly as God had said to do, and you know what, it cut through all the pain like a knife through butter. Bruce broke down, and if memory serves me correctly, he wept. Those were the exact words he needed to hear from me. He felt betrayed by me, his beloved, for my words had been so harsh and so many. Through the grace of God, and the insight He gave me, I had released my husband from pain, disappointment and bitterness. This confession was the beginning of the journey to the beautiful marriage we have now. I shudder to think of what may have happened if I had chosen to just confess my sin to God, but not go to my Beloved, Bruce, and confess my wrong to him too.
May God reveal any areas in your life that need to be confessed to Him and to another. The freedom, the joy, the release, the peace and the healing that comes from such words can only be described as “the Beauty of Confession.”
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