Contrition and Confession

 There are times when we are touched to the very core of our being. Sometimes this happens when we are very elated and excited about something that has happened to us or that we have been able to accomplish. Then, we rejoice greatly. However, other times we are struck by grief over something that we have done, because we realize how wrong it was. In that situation we weep and sob over our sin.

That is what happened to Ezra and the children of Israel when Ezra got back to Jerusalem and found out that the people had been very unfaithful to God. He confronted them about their sins, and he prayed to God about it. (Ezra 10:1) While Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel, for the people wept very bitterly. The people showed God how seriously they were taking their sins.

The word for what they were doing is "contrition."  The dictionary definition is "a very sorry or guilty feeling about something bad you have done, or the act of showing that you feel like this." It is when we are physically and emotionally affected by our sin so much that we weep very bitterly and bow down before the Lord in our guilt. My question for us today is this, "How often are we contrite for our sins?" God is watching to see if our hearts are really broken over our sins.

Then, God is looking to see if we are ready to fully confess our sins to Him. When we confess in a meaningful way, we will say the same thing God would say about our specific sin. We will admit the sin and turn away from it in repentance. Then, God sees our contrition, hears our confession, and cleanses us from the effect of that sin on our relationship with Him. That is what Ezra and the people did then, and it is what we need to do now, when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 2-4.