And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole;
and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.”
Numbers 21:8
Ask: for forgiveness
Yesterday’s reflection focused on the Israelites’ short-sighted complaint against God and the consequences – the venomous serpents—they suffered. Today, consider God’s cure. God asks Moses to attach a cast bronze serpent to a staff. All the Israelites have to do is to look at the bronze snake, and they will live. That’s all it takes. God doesn’t require a good deed, a particular prayer, or a sacrificial offering. If they only observe the consequence of their deeds and the cause of their suffering, they will be healed.
Something similar happens when Christians confess our sins. To be forgiven by God, we don’t need to make full restitution for what we have done, and often, we can’t. God doesn’t burden us with excess shame for our mistakes. We simply perceive what we have done with honesty and with courage, and we receive God’s healing. Confession isn’t easy, but if we know that God forgives us, what prevents us from owning our sinful past and the consequences of our actions? What joy have we missed because we did not?
Today, return to your newspaper reflections from the previous day. Under yesterday’s headlines, write down parts of your own sinful past or your present wrongs. On the facing page, write your own prayer asking for God’s forgiveness.