Refuge and Assurance, for When We Confess

 Psalm 9:9-14

    "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
    A refuge in times of trouble.
    10      And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
    For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
    11      Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion!
    Declare His deeds among the people.
    12      When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
    He does not forget the cry of the humble.
    13      Have mercy on me, O LORD!
    Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
    You who lift me up from the gates of death,
    14      That I may tell of all Your praise
    In the gates of the daughter of Zion.

    I will rejoice in Your salvation."

When we prepare to confess our sins, we usually set some aspect of our sinfulness out there and think about it.  We need to remember how we are sinful.  That’s good to do.  But Another important way to prepare to confess our sins is here in Ps 9: we need to remember that God is our refuge, vs 9.  When you confess your fault to someone, you are confiding in them, opening yourself up to them.  We can do that to God, and He will take care of us.  He will lift us up from the gates of death, vs 13.  It’s almost as if we need to start with the assurance of pardon, to be okay confessing our sins.

 

We don’t realize how much we need assurance.  Our children need to hear from us, that it’s going to be okay.  Your spouse needs to hear and see that you still love her or him.  God is constantly assuring us in His Word of His love for us.

 

So David asks God to consider his trouble, vs 13.  He asks this a lot.  But trouble can come at you, through no fault of your own.  Or you can cause your own trouble.  When you cause your own trouble, it’s time to set it before God, admit your fault.  Forgiveness will follow.  Vs 14, Rejoicing and telling God’s praise comes after, too.

Call to confession - 07/24/22