Psalms of Confession

Psalms of Confession

Psalms of Confession have the same basic form as the Laments - but this time the trouble is the psalmist's own fault.

My Psalms professor called these Penitential Psalms, and they could also be called Psalms of Repentance. They are about bringing your guilt and inadequacy before God, who freely forgives.

These are the Psalms of Confession in the Bible: Psalms 6, 32, 38, 41, 51, 69, and 130. The beautiful thing you'll find in these Psalms is again an assurance that God will answer - by pouring out mercy and forgiveness and compassion.

The Psalms of Confession have the same ACCESS acronym as the Laments, except the "Complaint" step is switched to a "Confession of Sin."

Here's how that looks in the Psalms of Confession:

In this type, the Address to God often starts with "Have mercy on me, God." The psalmist is coming before God, feeling inadequate.

This is similar to the Complaint of the Lament, because the psalmist describes the trouble they're in. But in Psalms of Confession, they also bring their guilt before God and the ways they've failed.

We confess our sin - but we do believe that God is merciful. This is when we remember that we do trust God.

In Psalms of Confession, the Entreaty is for God's mercy, grace, and compassion. We ask for cleansing and healing from our sin and the grace and strength to do better.

We remind ourselves, again, that God's compassion and mercy are everlasting and sure.

In Psalms of Confession, the answer is now. As soon as we ask, God forgives. So how can we praise the Lord for God's gracious forgiveness?

Now you try! Read the Psalms of Confession I've listed above. They aren't slavish about following the form, but you'll find those elements. Use the form to write your own psalm of confession.

Psalms of confession are more personal, so I don't have as many examples posted. But you will find some on my Sonderjourneys blog. If you find this helpful, I'd love to see your own psalms of confession in the comments.