“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.” - James 5:16
All sin is first and foremost against God. But we sin against others and we are sinned against. Although sin may be done in isolation, the consequences are communal. Part of the gift of the body of Believers is that we are not left to bear and carry the weight and consequences of our sin alone. Those who sin against us, and we sin against carry with us - shoulder to shoulder. In confession and repentance, the load is lighter. In confession and repentance, we open a door of humility and an opportunity for comfort. In confession and repentance, we become living ebenezeers of our own humanity, and simultaneously ebenezeers of the wonder and weight of the person and work of Christ.
Are there places where you have sought to be self-reliant rather than pressing your life into the community of faith?
Who needs to hear your prayers today?
Who needs to hear your confession today?