Confession — Исповедь

Written by Larisa Reshetova
     (See also: "Placing The Golden Crown — Сложив Златой Венец")

Я Тебя так часто огорчал

YA Tebya tak chasto ogorchal

I You so often grieved

В неудачах небо обвинял

V neudachakh nebo obvinyal

In failures heaven blamed

Ты ж в любви склонялся надо мной

Ty zh v lyubvi sklonyalsya nado mnoy

You in love leaned over me

Отче добрый мой

Otche dobryy moy

Father good [of] mine.

       Chorus—

     Услыши, Боже, исповедь мою

     Uslyshi, Bozhe, ispoved' moyu

     Hear, O God, confession [of] mine

     Тебе я тяжкий грех свой изолью

     Tebe ya tyazhkiy grekh svoy izol'yu

     [To] You I grave sins [of] mine will pour out

     Сойди ко мне с высот

     Soydi ko mne s vysot

     Descend to me from heights

     Богатых солнечных красот

     Bogatykh solnechnykh krasot

     Rich/plentiful sunny beauties

     Тебе я исповедаю грехи

     Tebe ya ispovedayu grekhi

     To You I confess sins

     Ты выслушай меня и всё прости,

     Ty vyslushay menya i vsyo prosti,

     You listen [to] me and all let pass / ie, forgive,

     Ты выслушай меня и всё прости.

     Ty vyslushay menya i vsyo prosti.

     You listen [to] me and all let pass / ie, forgive.

Не достоин пред Тобой стоять

Ne dostoin pred Toboy stoyat'

Not worthy before Your to stand

И в молитве голову склонять

I v molitve golovu sklonyat'

And in prayer head bow

Но я слышу голос в тишине:

No ya slyshu golos v tishine:

But I hear [a] voice in silence

Друг, прийди ко мне!

Drug, priydi ko mne!

Friend, incline/come to me!

       Chorus—

Simon includes this verse in the youtube notes, but he does not sing it:

В тишине склоняю пред Тобой,

V tishine sklonyayu pred Toboy,

In silence [I] bow before You

Голову и дух усталый мой

Golovu i dukh ustalyy moy

Head and spirit tired mine

Сердце чистое создай во мне

Serdtse chistoye sozday vo mne

Heart pure create in me

Вознеси к Себе.

Voznesi k Sebe.

Take [it] to Yourself.

BACK TO INDEX

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 Words at the video's ending:

"Придите ко Мне все труждающиеся и обремененные, и Я успокою вас"
Матфея 11:28

"И найдете покой душам вашим; Ибо иго Мое благо, и время Мое легко."

"Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"
Matthew 11:28

"And you will find rest for your souls; For My yoke is good, and my time is easy."

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After Simon posted this on youtube (May 31, 2018), Larisa Reshetova, the composer, wrote:

Приветствую, Симон! Благодарю тебя за исполнение этой песни. Я не увидела и не услышала никакого артистического лицемерия... Напротив, ты и девочки, исполняющие вокал,  прониклись духом глубокого смирения перед Господом, и смогли это выразить своими голосами. Видео, аудио и содержание песни гармонируют, - это редкость, и у тебя получилось. Думаю, эта песня коснется очень многих сердец... Лично у меня - мурашки по коже и слезы на глазах, а в сердце - молитва... молитва... молитва...

Greetings, Simon! Thank you for performing this song. I didn’t see and didn’t hear any artistic hypocrisy ... On the contrary, you and the girls performing the vocals were filled with the spirit of deep humility before the Lord, and were able to express it with your voices. Video, audio and content of the song are in harmony, - this is rare, and you did it. I think this song will touch so many hearts ... Personally, I have goosebumps and tears in my eyes, and a prayer in my heart ... a prayer ... a prayer ...

Shortly afterwards, Simon replied:

Larisa Reshetova, Приветствую! Очень ждал, чтобы вы прокомментировали😀. Спасибо за добрые слова!  Ваши мелодии особенные, они не стоят на месте, а взлетают. Уже полгода  прошло как было первое желание исполнить эту песню, но вот, судьба закрутила😁 .

Larisa Reshetova, Greetings! I was waiting for you to comment 😀. Thank you for the kind words! Your melodies are special, they do not stand still, but take off. Already half a year has passed since the first desire to perform this song was, but here, fate twirled 😁.

Larisa responded:

Может быть, дело не в судьбе, а во времени. Всему свое время, как ты выразился в своем комментарии: время петь мажоры, и время петь миноры. Для исполнения любой песни должен быть соответствующий внутренний мир. Вот теперь пришло время и для "Исповеди".

Maybe it's not fate, but in time. Everything has its time, as you put it in your comment: time to sing the majors, and time to sing the minor. For the performance of any song must be an appropriate inner world. Now the time has come for "Confession."

Rake the Coals of Thy Fire....

"...rake the coals of thy fire so that it will start, burst into flame more easily upon the morrow...."

 

This quote from an old, Puritan write has intrigued me. What's more, it has challenged me to greater discipline. Few of us understand the urgency behind this analogy: To someone in the 17th Century, the fire was the heat and source of cooking power. Much of the life in the house revolved around using and tending to the fire. The fire was life-giving and essential. For it to go out was a serious problem! So what about our Christian life? While we would most all readily admit that the Spirit's fire is essential, do we really order our day so that we can tend this fire and quench it not?

So then, what is this tending of the fire, this "raking the coals"? In my limited knowledge of fires I see several points of interest: 

1) First, to rake the coals there had to be a fire there already. Are you saved? Does your heart grow warm when His kingdom is mentioned? Do you thrill at the reading of His Word as with a great glowing ardor? Then God has placed His fire in your heart. Some would say, "but my fire has gone out!" No! If you are truly saved, He will not allow that to happen. Dig around in the ashes of your heart to find those live embers and then fan them into flame. If your fire is truly out, then you never had His life-giving fire in your heart in the first place! This can only be remedied by humbly repenting and petitioning Him for Salvation. You cannot start your own fire. Remember Nadab and Abihu and their unauthorized fire! (See Lev 10.) 

2) For there to be a fire there, there must be work and planning. These are coals that we are to rake. Coals are the long-lasting hot-points of a fire. When something else comes next to the coals, it too catches fire. How do you get long-lasting coals? Not from paper. That's a flash and it is gone. Nor from small kindling. No, the best coals come from the densest, hard-wood logs. Oak and maple fires will have many hot, glowing embers eight or more hours later. In our Christian life, with what sort of things are we stoking our fire? Light reading? Current events? Sensational stories? Emotionally appealing tripe? If that is all, we will not have many if any coals in the evening, much less the morning! No, we need to feed our soul's fire with God's Word itself: with great logs of doctrine that we ponder and marvel on all day long. Second we feed our soul's fire with writings of those who likewise ponder these deep and marvelous doctrines from God's Word. Puritan writers, D. Lloyd-Jones, P. G. Mathew among others. Do this and you will have hot coals to rake. 

3) Where there is fire there will be ash also. Some of this raking involves the removing of the dead fire, the debris of our own wood, hay and stubble that God's mercy ignited. Perhaps that is why we don't like keeping the fire burning hot so that it is useful. For while it is hot, it also burns our ambitions and self-esteem and worldly pleasures. The dross is purged. Note also that paper and things like it produce much more ash then do hard-wood logs. So also we will have less ash -- less carnal pleasures to repent of if we feed our soul's fire with doctrine instead of sensational, feel-good readings. But forget all these little trinkets of wood, hay and stubble. Look at the great treasure which He is giving -- and has given already--to us! Note also that this ash removal needs to be done at least morning and evening. That sounds like repentance, doesn't it? Never done with it in this life. Repentance is not a once for all, done with it sort of thing. It is daily, on-going. The Puritans said that the two wings by which we fly to heaven are Repentance and Faith. Don't hobble your flight to God. Repent! Clear out the ashes of your soul's fire regularly.

4) Lastly, I want to point out just how much work there is involved in tending a fire. Yes. We all know that it is God who saves us. He reaches down monergistically and sets our hearts aflame. No human with any type of "strike anywhere" match could have ever lit the water-logged alter of our hearts. But just as for Elijah, fire came down from heaven and ignited our hearts. (See II Kings 18:30 - 38) But somehow, we in our fleshly, carnal wisdom want this to stay and to remain completely God's working. We want this sanctification process to be completely of God too. Face it. We' tend toward a certain amount of spiritual laziness. But that is not what the Bible teaches. Herein is another divine mystery! We work in partnership with God Himself! This is why the scripture implores us to "make every effort" and to "make sure" and "to guard your hearts"! Phil 2: 12, 13 says "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." We are to work our our salvation. Work it to the outside so that others may see it. God has placed it there on the inside, now we need to work it to the outside. In thoughts; in speech; and in actions. Raking the coals, and tending our fire will make our lives shine that much brighter for this King who has worked in us such a great salvation!

So, to what end now? What benefit is there in all this work? You will have a heart that is ready to spring forth in praises and supplication upon your waking! No need to spend extra hours trying to find the ember and coax it back to life. No need to start afresh with the paper and kindling of light, simplistic and trivial readings. The coals will already be hot --eager for another log of from God's Word. Notice that this fire will not automatically spring to life. It takes some attention in the morning too. But with the preparation from the night before, it is ready and will take little additional effort.


This Puritan writer adds yet one more incentive: "...for he that goes to sleep in the presence of the Lord, will surely wake in His Presence!"

- D. Benning