What does psalm 32 say about confessing your sins?
In my mid-twenties I came face to face with the 32ndPsalm. It made me uncomfortable. I forced myself to read it twice. And then a third time. Then I just couldn’t pull myself away. The more uncomfortable I felt, the more I was drawn to the words on the page. I soon realized that there was something wrong – something inside of me. My heart wasn’t right. Sin was reigning there. It had been dwelling within for so long that I had become comfortable with it – until that day. Light was breaking through. It was a dreadfully painful experience, but I am eternally grateful for it. It changed me, as the Word of God should. It made me realize how important it is for us to confess our sins. Read these words together with me now:
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Psalm 32:1-6
I have since learned that the word “blessed” means “happy”.
Happy is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Happy is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them.
Related: Is God Angry With Sinners?
I don’t think we often attribute our unhappiness to the unconfessed sin in our lives. More often than not we blame our discontent on our circumstances or on what others have done to us instead of checking hearts and confessing our sins before God.
Confess your Sins and Submit to The Holy Spirit
When we submit to the Holy Spirit’s work in us – convicting us of sin – we open the door to happiness, to relief, to freedom. If we are His, he won’t let us have peace until we bring our sin before Him. We will be miserable until we confess our sins. “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 sapped as in the heat of summer.”
Once through the door, it is necessary to speak specifically to God regarding our sin. We must lay it before Him, recognizing what it is, confessing it and then rejecting it. When God spoke to me through these verses I realized just how much my sin had affected my relationship with Him. The chasm was great. This is really what caused my unhappiness-the great distance my sin had created between my Lord and me.
Confession of Sins and True Repentance
Matthew Henry wrote about the power of repentance:
“Upon our repentance, the transgression is forgiven; that is, the obligation to punishment which we lay under, by virtue of the sentence of the law, is vacated and cancelled; it is lifted off (so some read it), that by the pardon of it we may be eased of a burden, a heavy burden, like a load on the back, that makes us stoop, or a load on the stomach, that makes us sick, or a load on the spirits, that makes us sink. The remission of sins gives rest and relief to those that were weary and heavily laden, Mt. 11:28. It is the covering of sin, as nakedness is covered, that it may not appear to our shame, Rev. 3:18.”
For more commentary on this passage go here.
Confessing our sin is much more than telling God about our sin. It is recognizing the power that sin has had over us, and how it has coursed through our veins for too long. Oswald Chambers writes about the true nature of repentance:
“Repentance does not bring a sense of sin, but a sense of unutterable unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am utterly helpless; I know all through me that I am not worthy even to bear His shoes. Have I repented like that?” Oswald Chambers (My Utmost For His Highest p. 235)
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Cor. 7:10
So, what’s the difference between “worldly sorrow” and “godly sorrow”? Worldly sorrow is feeling terrible about the wrong you have done. Godly sorrow knows that you have offended God Himself and realizes that the depth of the offense requires atonement.
Chambers continues:
“Conviction of sin is one of the rarest things that ever strikes a man. It is the threshold of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict of sin, and when the Holy Spirit rouses a man’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not his relationship with men that bothers him, but his relationship with God – ‘against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight.’ The marvels of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven man who is the holy man, he proves he is forgiven by being the opposite to what he was, by God’s grace. Repentance always brings a man to this point: I have sinned.” Oswald Chambers (My Utmost For His Highest p. 342)
The point of confessing our sins and repenting of them is to get back into a right relationship with God Himself. As we draw nearer to Him we realize the utter wretchedness of our offense and begin to see the nature of sin the way God does. Onward we go, turning our back on that sin and moving forward in the amazing grace of our Lord – cleansed and forgiven. Once again we can claim the unchangeable truth that we are clothed in the very righteousness of Christ and stand justified before the Father.
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Life is a Vapor 
Loved this! Well written. I loved the use of the.commentary also as not many people still use them. I related to this on so many levels.
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Thanks so much for reading! I find that articles are more credible when there are good sources added. I am also leery about just posting my opinion.
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This is an excellent post. I particularly liked this bit “Confessing our sin is much more than telling God about our sin. It is recognizing the power that sin has had over us, and how it has coursed through our veins for too long.” It definitely is a recognition of that, and that we are helpless to do anything about it on our own. Even our own repentance towards God is often not quite there, or sometimes even driven by impure motives. However, it’s recognising that we even need help in repenting and being able to come to that place where we have nothing of our own to bring before God, and that we are completely dependent on Him to deliver us.
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We do need help in repenting! Thanks for reading, Robert!
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I agree with Robert. We get so wrapped up in what we want God to do for us, we “confess” without really meaning to repent. I have to admit I do that too often. Thank you for your reminder, I needed it!
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Thanks for reading! God bless you!
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Great post! Today, I confessed my sin of living to please other people more than God, and am determined now to re-focus on serving God and not focusing on trying to make everyone happy. Just instead making God happy. Your post gave me much hope that with God’s help, I can make the necessary changes to be a more blessed person!
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Ah yes! That’s one I struggle with as well. Thanks for reading!
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The humility it takes to recognize our need enough to tell God what we know He already knows – our sin – is how we find forgiveness. He’s waiting to give it – but He is also waiting for us to ask for it. The cycle of trusting Him and turning to Him that in turn builds our confidence because He is faithful is one we must always engage in. We cause our own hurt when we allow pride to keep us from “spewing the filth” as I call it – getting the sin out and allowing healing in.
It’s work. It’s faith. It’s God’s plan. Oh, if we will just remember to hold on to it!
Beautiful post Summer!
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Very insightful, Angela. I can tell your comment comes from wisdom.
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Thank you for this great post. I think we do so often look over the importance of repentance. Many times we think our sins are not that severe compared to others and we don’t think we need to confess them. Repentance is something we all need to do daily.
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The word of God can be so convicting sometimes, for sure! I love that passage you shared from Chambers. His writing always hits me so hard.
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God’s Word has convicted me on many occasions. I love the excerpts you included from the commentaries as well. This was a great read!
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Confessing your sins does lead to healing and freedom! Amen! Beautiful post with many enlightening commentaries.
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I love the power of repentance and how it brings freedom! The Holy Spirit is so kind to lead me to areas that I need to bring to God so I can walk in freedom. Thanks for sharing!
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Great post! I love how you said “When we submit to the Holy Spirit’s work in us – convicting us of sin – we open the door to happiness, to relief, to freedom.” So true!!!
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Turning our hearts through repentance is so important and something my parents taught me from their life examples. To realign our hearts to God’s will every day. Thanks for sharing these tips to healing and freedom 🙏
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This is such a wonderful post! So well written and so true. I love how you explain repentance. What cleansing and freedom we forfeit when we hold onto our sin!
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Hi, Summer! Thank you so much for sharing this post. Real freedom really lies deep in forgiveness and repentance. God bless you!
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Awesome post sweet sister! Psalm 32 was very convicting to me, too. ‘Blessed’ is my word for 2020 and I do feel happy (joy) in the midst of everything this year.
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What a privilege it is when God speaks to us through His Word! I love how this post stems from that conviction. God bless you. 🙂
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Talking to God and giving Him our sin changes us. Our hearts are tenderized.
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Thank you for sharing so clearly about Psal 32.I will be reading it a few times!
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Such beautiful truth here, Summer. Listening to the Holy Spirit and surrendering to God through repentance brings nothing but freedom and growth. God is so good all the time – I just have to remember to lay myself down and let God be first all the time!
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