Devotions: Confessed Compassion

Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets.

Daniel 9:8-10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Many years after Jerusalem was taken by Babylon, Babylon was overthrown by Media. At that time, Daniel discovered the writings of Jeremiah and was distressed over the sin of his people which lead to their calamity and downfall. He prayed for God to forgive them, to change them, to have compassion on them so they might be restored. He did not claim to be any better than his ancestors, nor exclude himself in this confession. He was humble before God. Because of this, God answered him through the angel Gabriel. God promised to restore His people to Jerusalem but He also promised a Messiah who would come to restore them to God’s true Kingdom to become His true people. How honest are you in confession? Do you try to hide your sin from God or make it sound less bad? Do you grieve over your sin or the sin of others? God knows everything; He knows even your deepest thoughts. He also knows how He will restore you and what that restoration will cost both you and Him. We need to confess our sin in order to return to right standing with God, but confession doesn’t always mean we won’t suffer the consequences of our sin. Sometimes Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient, sometimes it isn’t (I am not saying we add to salvation, only that sometimes we must endure punishment or remit restitution for what we have done.) Humble yourself before God, confess your sin and submit to His will. His compassion will come in the end!

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