Lord, the God of heaven … I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
- from Nehemiah 1:5-7

After receiving the bad news about the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, Nehemiah turns to the Lord in prayer. And one of the first things he does in his prayer is to make a confession to the Lord, but very different from the prayers of confession that we often hear and pray.

Nehemiah confesses his sins: the ways he has acted “wickedly” and disobediently toward the Lord. This sounds very ordinary. We pray prayers like this because we know that the Lord is eager to forgive us and call us out of hiding. Sins that are confessed lose their power before a God of grace. But Nehemiah goes one step further.

He confesses not only his sins but also the sins of his family and his ethnic community. He confesses sins he didn’t commit directly. In confession, he brings his whole community with him to the Lord, seeking forgiveness.

This is harder than it looks. There’s something in us that revolts when forced to answer from others misdeeds. A huge part of the tension behind conversations about race, politics, and religion hinges on this very point: we feel uncomfortable when asked to answer in any way for the sins of others.

This is not new in human history or restricted to our time and culture. From the very introduction of sin, humans have tried to split hairs over who actually did what and who should be blamed for it. Nehemiah’s communal confession runs against the grain of our common history. And, in that way, he helps us see a glimpse of our merciful God, who will ultimately take not only the blame for all of our sins but also the punishment.

Nehemiah’s willingness to identify himself with his broader family and community in confession positions him powerfully to lead his entire community in mission.

Try praying a prayer of corporate confession today. Ask God to forgive you for what you’ve done wrong but also to forgive your family, your ethnic group, your neighborhood, your church, and your country. God is eager to show off his mercy and lovingkindness.