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Read: 1 Kings 8:46-51
Listen: 1 Kings 8

And if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors and say, “We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly…” 1 Kings 8:47

As King Solomon prays to dedicate the temple, he looks ahead to a painful possibility—Israel turning from God and facing exile in a foreign land. God has made clear the consequences of rebellion. Yet Solomon prays that even then, return is possible. If they confess their sin and return to God, he will hear and forgive. Even when they run away from him, God has made a way to return.

We all are prone to wander from God. Many of us have avoided prayer in those seasons, feeling too far gone or too ashamed to return. But confession isn’t about cleaning ourselves up first. It means agreeing with God about what we’ve done, naming it honestly the way King David did: “Against you, you only, have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). Confession and repentance belong together. We name the sin and turn from it, returning to God. Both should be part of our daily practice. We can do this confidently because of Jesus. When we confess, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).

PRAYER DAY #23: This week we are using the ACTS model to pray. C is for Confession. No sin is too small or too great to bring to God. Name it honestly, agreeing with God that it is against him. “Father, I admit I’ve sinned against you, because no one is faultless. I confess ________ is sin, and I repent. Help me return to you. Amen.”