By Andrew Williams
So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the Lord. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the Lord. (It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.)
1 Samuel 7:6 NLT
Good morning fellow disciples.
Confess: to unburden one’s sins or the state of one’s conscience to God or to a priest.
Have you ever sinned against God so much that the fellowship that you had with Him was totally broken? In those times you could not hear from God or feel His presence. What did you do in order to mend your relationship with God?
This was the situation that the Israelites were in. For 20 years they were in mourning because it seemed as if the Lord had forgotten about them. Here’s how they went about returning to God:
Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord. Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the Lord. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the Lord. (It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.)
1 Samuel 7:3-6 NLT
After they did this, God heard their prayers and destroyed their enemies.
We too should humble ourselves by putting aside/destroy our idols, fasting, confessing, and repenting of our sins. When we do so, God will hear from heaven and forgive us.
Prayer: Father God, I need my relationship with You to be renewed and restored. I will humble myself before You today. I will fast! I will confess my sins. I will repent!
When I do, Lord, please hear from heaven and forgive me. Restore and improve our broken relationship I pray, amen.