This reading from the Book of Daniel is an example of a heartfelt prayer of confession and repentance. It’s a reminder for us of the importance of owning our mistakes before the Lord and seeking His forgiveness. It challenges us to confront our own shortcomings, our own failings and errors with humility and honesty.

No one likes owning our mistakes. It’s hard to recognize that we’ve been in the wrong…it’s harder voicing that to others. It’s easy to cast the blame onto someone else or to make excuses when we fall, but true growth and healing can only come when we swallow our pride and acknowledge our faults.

Daniel was praying so passionately for the Lord to be merciful to his people. He put in the work of looking at all that was happening and acknowledging before the Lord that they had gotten it wrong. We have to do the same thing. We, too, must examine our hearts and lives.

Are there areas where we have fallen short? Have we hurt others through our words or actions? In what ways have we turned away from God? As hard as it is to do, we have to take responsibility for our mistakes, both individually and collectively. We have to come before the Lord in humility, share with Him our hearts, how we have fallen, and ask for his mercy.

But it isn’t all dark and gloomy…it’s not just about focusing on sin. The beauty of Daniel’s prayer is found in its hopefulness. Despite the weight of the sins of the community, Daniel trusts in God’s mercy and faithfulness. For us, when we confess our sins sincerely, we can trust in God’s grace to forgive and restore us. We can be filled with hope that God has encountered us in our sin and is extending his love to us.

Owning our mistakes isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s actually a testament to great courage, strength, and integrity. It’s through our brokenness, through our woundedness that God’s light shines brightest, that we experience His love in the deepest way, and that we’re led down the path to reconciliation and renewal.

So, today, let’s follow Daniel’s example. Go to the Lord; confess our sins; trust in His unfailing love for us; and allow Him to cleanse and renew us. May we move forward throughout this season of Lent with hearts open to His transformative power, open to His grace, so that we might experience the Resurrection in a new way this Easter.

Image: Daniel’s Answer to the King, Briton Rivière (1890). Manchester Art Gallery. Used under public domain license. Wikimedia Commons.