A vehicle for hope

I apologize for the impersonal nature of this post, but this is something that I have been thinking about lately.

I am currently in the middle of teaching a twelve-week adult bible class on Sunday mornings using the excellent Peacemaker material from Peacemaker ministries. In the sixth session, where the principle that was taught was that confession brings freedom, Ken Sande mentioned that a true, God-honoring confession is often something that can spark hope where there is a temptation toward hopelessness. Being the "hope junkie" that I am I became instantly enamored with this and it has led me down a path of meditation and exploration as to why this is the case.

At least in my initial thoughts about it I think one of the reasons why confession is a vehicle for hope is that it shows the person that is confessing and the one who is receiving the confession the power of God at work in a vivid and real way. Obviously, hoping for change that never happens can wear on an individual until there is no real expectation that it will or even can come about. The sights and sounds of a confession can awaken a person to the reality that with God anything is possible. The confession itself is evidence of a work that God is doing in the person's life that the person receiving the confession may not have been aware of or, in their sin, may have suppressed their acknowledgment of. That is a source of great hope for it comes straight from the only true Object of hope we have.

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