Nehemiah 1.6-7 NLT




'I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.'




My car has gone in for a service today. A few minutes ago, I received a video on my phone from the garage in which I saw a mechanic giving me a guided tour of the underside of the vehicle pointing out all of its imperfections and indicating the work that would be needed over the coming months. Whether I liked it or not, I needed to know the facts and face up to them. In a sense that’s what happens when we come into the presence of a holy God. The truth about our lives is suddenly revealed. The fact is that we are sinners and we live in a community that is sinful. Nehemiah knew that he had to be absolutely honest with God.
At times we like to play games with ourselves and make out that we are really not that bad. We open the newspapers and compare ourselves with people who have committed appalling crimes and we feel better about ourselves. We would never do such things. But the reality is that we are sinners. We fall short of God’s perfect standards and we need his forgiveness if we are ever going to live in partnership with him. The wonderful truth is that if we are willing to confess our sins then God is willing to forgive us and set us free. When Jesus died on the cross he took upon himself the full weight of our sin.


Nehemiah’s words remind me of Isaiah who, when he faced the holiness of God, felt thoroughly depressed. He cried out, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips.” (Isaiah 6.5) But the wonderful fact is that it wasn’t all over because God sent a seraphim to cleanse his lips. Praise God that when we confess our sins he is willing, in the same moment, to forgive us and set us free to live our lives to the full.




QUESTION: How do you respond to the news that God is willing to forgive you?
PRAYER: Loving God, thank you for the amazing and liberating gift of forgiveness. Amen

Released on 26 Jul 2021