Jul 08
Today’s Truth
“If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me” (Psalm 66:19-20, NLT).
Friend to Friend
I stood on the kitchen chair to reach the top of the hutch only to find more than dust. The hidden section was 
littered with crumpled-up gum wrappers, and I knew exactly how they got there. No doubt my daughter thought she found a way to get past the gum-chewing police. She had braces and knew she wasn’t supposed to chew gum, but thought she could be a sneaky Pete.
I wanted to march up to her bedroom and demand a confession, but instead, I opted for a more subtle approach of stashing all the wrappers in the middle of her planner. I could hardly wait for the next morning to see her reaction. Would she confess? Would she make excuses and place blame elsewhere? As the evening pressed on, however, I couldn’t shake the anger and hurt over her behavior. Was it my fault? Did I cause her to be sneaky? Was this the first time? Would it be the last?
Maybe you’ve been lied to by a child, spouse, parent, or friend, over something much graver than sneaking chewing gum. I certainly have, which makes this example seem so trite. But it is a good illustration of how our reaction to lying, or any sin committed against us, reveals so much more about our humanity compared to God’s sovereign grace. Psalm 66:19-20 portrays a response from God that we would not be quick to reject, should we be the one entrenched in sin and ready to come clean: “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.”
God listens. He pays attention to our confession. He does not ignore us. He does not withdraw His unfailing love from us.
While it would have been ideal for my daughter to confess her sneakiness before being found out, her response upon finding the wrappers tucked in her planner revealed her repentant heart. However, her remorse didn’t make my anger go away or instantly rebuild our relationship. It took time to trust her, and others, since old wounds were triggered with this blindsiding. Maybe you can relate? However, since that incident more than a decade ago, I’ve learned a powerful lesson about sin:
We have a part to play in the process of confession that matters much in God’s kingdom work.
Yes, we have a choice when it comes to how we will react to another’s sin in the same way God has a choice in how He’ll respond to ours. He chose unfailing love, evidenced by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. His love is what leads us into confession, repentance, and transformation. Will we, too, be vessels of His unfailing love, welcoming the kind of honest confessions that can lead to authentic life transformation?
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, thank You for Your unfailing love that we can trust at all times. Please help us when we have been sinned against, no matter how seemingly trite the offense may be, to receive Your power at work within to heal us and enable us to respond with Your lovingkindness. Help us to know what that looks like as we consider what You have done in response to our sin through Jesus’ work on the cross.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
How might God be prompting you to respond to the one who has lied to you? How might you practice becoming the type of woman that is safe for an honest confession and supportive in the pursuit of wholehearted transformation?
More from the Girlfriends
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My God, my God. Than you for sharing. This was meant for me. Just the other day my 30+ year old daughter lied to me about something so that she would appear to be that perfect daughter and maintain my respect. Eventhough I was surprised, I thought it to be minor. I brought it to her attention and she was speechless. But because we were on the phone, I told her I loved her and the call ended.
Two hours later she sent this beautiful text explaining how her entire life, she never wanted to disappoint me because I had sacrificed so much during her childhood. I began to cry as I wanted to wrap my arms around her and say, I LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT…then suddenly I heard God’s voice saying the same to me!!…for I too had that struggle of how could I dare disappoint God after he suffered for me. Thank you God for your LOVE, MERCY, and GRACE.
Blessings everyone!!
The reading for today encouraged me to take a different approach and look in the mirror to refocus my heart and mind to the lies of Satan and how these lies effect my relationship with my Father God. I definitely can say that I have experienced lies and deception in my lifetime, but I also claim responsibility for my own actions and lies I have believed and told for whatever reason. Satan is the ultimate liar and master of deceipt,his goal to seek and destroy my relationship with God, my family, friends,and ultimately my character. I realized that confession and repentance is a necessary step to implement into my quiet time with God in the early morning hours. Even more importantly is following my confession time with praise for Gods unfailing Love and forgiveness of my sin and seek the same for others. My new goal is to lead by example to others even if he or she lies to me. Actions speak louder than words and a heart cleansed by the blood of Jesus shines through. I choose to forgive as God has forgiven me his rebellious child. Thank you.
wow!!!! —- sometimes I feel so justified in my reaction to being sinned against, that I forget that my response is sinful…. I struggle with this____ thank you for the sweet instruction
My daughter is constantly lying, stealing and sneaking around. I stand eager to forgive her, but she’s not sorry for any of it. What do I do with that?
Sherri, isn’t it kind of God to give us what we need to hear in the moment! Yes, thank God for His love, mercy, and grace!
Debbie, I so appreciate your humilty! Thank you for sharing your heart with us. What a beautiful testimony of God working in you and through you!
Kami, what an honest and real question. From a biblical perspective, we’re called to forgive even when the one who has committed the offense does not admit what they have done wrong nor care to say they are sorry. I picture it as taking the key to the handcuffs and giving it to God. He is the ultimate judge and will be the one who can respond the best.
We also know that we turn to God in our hurt, disappointment, frustration, anger, and bitterness. He can carry it for us, so we can confidently release all of our pain to Him. That process also comes with the need to figure out how to interact with those who hurt us, like your daughter is hurting you. I would recommend seeking out the support of a therapist to help navigate establishing healthy boundaries for the sake of your wellbeing. This is not an easy road to walk by yourself. Praying for God to be with you and show you who you can trust to support you moving forward.