It’s Not Shameful to Confess to God
Today’s Verses:
James 5:16 ESV
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
We often think of confession as something private—between us and God. And it is. But James calls us to something riskier: “Confess your sins to one another.” Not to parade guilt. Not to wallow in shame. But to open the door to healing.
Sin isolates. It pushes us into corners where we wear masks and pretend everything’s fine. But Christ didn’t die to make us fine. He died to make us free. And part of that freedom means bringing sin into the light—where it loses power.
In the Lutheran tradition, confession is paired with absolution. We don’t just admit failure—we receive forgiveness. Whether it’s in private prayer, in the presence of a pastor, or in honest conversation with a brother or sister in Christ, confession is a path toward mercy. Healing begins where honesty begins.
God doesn’t ask us to confess to shame us. He asks us to confess so we can stop carrying what Christ already carried to the cross. And when we pray for each other in those moments, we step into what the Church is meant to be: a community of grace, truth, and healing.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, thank You for carrying our sin and shame to the cross. Give us the courage to confess honestly and the grace to receive others gently. Heal what is broken in us and make us instruments of Your mercy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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