I will confess my transgressions . . .
and you [will] forgive the guilt of my sin.
—Psalm 32:5
You have to admire King David, for when he was confronted with his sin, he immediately confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And you have to love God, for he immediately forgave David: “The Lord has taken away your sin” (2 Sm 12:13).
Denial of sin is self-deception: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 Jn 1:8). But God delights in showing mercy, and there isn’t a hairsbreadth between our confession and his forgiveness.
When you’re ready, a good place to start is with David’s prayer: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin” (Ps 51:1–2).
When you ask for forgiveness,
God says, “Done!”