In relation to God we are always in a position of response. If I told you that you had offended me, it would not be appropriate for you to ignore my concerns and change the subject. I would probably try to change the subject back. And if you persisted in ignoring me, it would certainly injure our relationship. Such miscommunication is endemic in Christian prayer. We tend to change the subject to what concerns us the most. We must instead ask, what is it that most concerns God right now. Invariably it will be with the state of our relationship with him. We are prone, when approaching prayer, to evade the issues between us and God that we do not want to face. These might be sins that we need to confront, things we are holding onto that we must let go or steps of obedience that we have neglected. It is inevitable when we evade these issues to feel that God is distant, not because he has withdrawn from us, but because we are hiding from him. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, we too hide from God more than we think. But God persists in calling us out of hiding. He stands at the door and knocks while we evade his loving discipline (Revelation 3:19-20). Jesus said that the Holy Spirit comes to “convict the world concerning sin” (John 16:8). To receive him in fellowship therefore we must respond to this and agree with him. Confession of sin is a sure way to open the lines of communication between us and God.
Confess your sins to God.
Read Psalm 32.
