As we continue on our Lenten journey, we reach a turning point in the prayer. No longer are we simply confessing that we have sinned or detailing the ways in which we have sinned. Though, if we are honest, there is nothing simple about confessing. It is hard, uncomfortable work. In confession we admit that we have failed, that we are at fault, that we are not the Creator God of the universe who gets to dictate right from wrong.
Now we must do something even more uncomfortable than admitting our sin. We must take responsibility for it. Again, this prayer uses plural pronouns because it is a corporate prayer, but it is wholly appropriate to make it singular when used devotionally: I am truly sorry. I confess, I apologize, I repent for my sins. Not the sins of another, but my own.
There is no equivocation here, no sidestepping, no blaming someone else. I continue to stand exposed before the Creator God of the universe and admit my sin, own my sin, apologize for my sin. This is dangerous, scary work. This is the only One who can rightly judge, and I am willingly standing before Him, exposed, vulnerable, and admitting my fault.
Yet if we are paying close attention to Scripture, we see that we are not alone. We did not come to this place unprepared or unbidden. We are invited, drawn by the Father to Christ (John 6:44). We do not beat down the door of heaven asking to be let in. We are called through an open door. Our confession and apology are made to One who is open, ready, and willing to hear them.
However, this prayer pushes us farther than confession and apology. It demands change. It calls for repentance. Like idolatry, this is another old and uncomfortable but faithful biblical word. We find that confession and apology are not enough. We must change. We must repent.
Yet again, we must see this turning and change in the context of the whole of Scripture. This is not change for its own sake. This is change that allows us to follow Jesus on the narrow path, the flourishing path, the path away from destruction.
It is hopeful that we are called to this place of confession, apology, and repentance by God. It is hopeful that we are not alone and that we can only do this work through the power of the Spirit (Romans 8:1-17).
What is even more uncomfortable is that this whole process is not a one-time event. It is something we must continually do. Even Paul said that he was not perfect, that he did not do what he wanted, but instead continually found himself doing what he did not want to do (Romans 7:15-19).
This brings us to a realization about Lent that we may not have considered. This Lenten journey brings the whole process into focus and shines an uncomfortable light on the real state of our lives. The uncomfortable truth is that Lent is something we should carry with us all year long, something we should be doing regularly, not only during this special forty-day season.
This is not meant to bring us down, but to raise us up. We should daily come before God, calling on His name, confessing how we have failed to live as He has called us to live, and owning it as our own failure. We should pray that through the power of the Spirit we would continue to grow and change, becoming more and more like Christ (Philippians 1:6).
Joshua Strickler 