For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:3-5
Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Proverbs 1:24-27

Heavenly Father, I know what it feels like to have unconfessed sin. I know the feelings David describes above. I know what it feels like to be dying on the inside because I have not yet been honest about how I’ve sinned against you with you or with others. I praise you God for delivering me from this type of hiding and covering up. I thank you Lord for revealing to me how I could be free if I just confessed and received your grace and mercy. The level of inner turmoil that comes along with unconfessed sin is heavy. I remember seasons of living with unconfessed sin like walking around with a ball and chain. Thank you for setting me free. Use me as a voice in this generation to set others free from this “wasting away” through faith in the good news. As I have been revived, renewed, and reinvigorated through confession of sin and reception of grace, help me to renew others.

Lord, help me to heed the voice of wisdom. As I read and re-read proverbs, help my heart not to grow numb to the voice of wisdom. Help me to be convicted where I need to be convicted and help me to respond in obedience to those convictions. Or, wisdom will mock me when I fall. Wisdom will laugh. Wisdom will not have mercy. If I choose to live a foolish life after seeing clearly the path of the wise, wisdom will not feel bad for me. Thank you for this sobering truth. Thank you for this reality check. Give me an urgency for heeding your wisdom. Lest, wisdom mocks my foolishness. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.