Prayers of Confession on Apathy
Inspired by Ezekiel 37:1-14
Father God, we confess that we dwell in a valley of dry bones. We may resemble the living but we are dead. Our sin has left us lifeless. We are dead in our transgressions and in need of a resurrection of life. We resonate with the words of the people of Israel, “Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost; we are completely cut off.” May you, most Gracious and Forgiving Father forgive us of the sin that has led to our virtual lifelessness and renew life within us by the power of your Spirit. May you put your spirit within us that we may live again. Amen.
Scott Bullock Merciful Lord, You are holy, You are mighty, You are worthy of praise! Holy Father, You are majestic, You are powerful, You are awesome in every way! We have seen Your glory, And experienced Your joy. But often our hearts are fickle, and the awe and wonder of Your saving grace becomes common and mundane. In Your mercy, please forgive our sin; cleanse us from our unrighteousness and heal our wayward and feckless hearts. We find hope and comfort in Your promise to forgive. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord Jesus, your life shows us how you want us to live. So often we know exactly what it would take for us to become more like you, and yet we sit back, rather than taking a step toward your holiness. Lots of times you make the pathway of faithfulness obvious to us, but we stumble away from the road to sanctification. We need your strength, living Lord Jesus, so that we can live into our call as well-loved disciples who become more and more like you. We repent of our complacency, and ask you to forgive us for these and all of our trespasses. We continue now to confess in silence…
Silent prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Almighty God, You are with us no matter what, through thick and thin, yet we don’t live any differently based upon that truth. We tend to ignore You, push You out of minds and hearts so that we can live how we want to. We prevent Your presence from impacting us, from calling us to action. Please forgive us for ignoring You. Please help us to be more attuned to Your presence as we silently confess our sins to You now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Almighty God, you have surprised us with your presence in unexpected ways. In the expectations of our routine, we have missed the treasure that you place before us. We come to worship you in community often expecting nothing more than the usual. We begin our days, our weeks, assuming all will run as it always has. We do not look for the unexpected, for your active presence in our daily lives and for that we confess our sorrow. Forgive us for not allowing our eyes to catch the unexpected, to glimpse your glory in the ordinary. May this season, we see the presence of your Son by the power of your Spirit in new and transformative ways. Amen.
Scott Bullock
Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But thou, 0 Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, 0 most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
Thomas Cranmer, The Book of Common Prayer, Great Confession for Morning and Evening Prayer.
Gracious and Loving God, we come into Your presence asking for Your forgiveness. Forgive us for aspirations that never get translated into action and for promises that we have not kept. Forgive us for having good intentions that were not fulfilled and for the good deeds that we never got around to doing. Grant us a new vision and help us to move from intention to action. Help us, Lord, to keep our eyes on You and to be faithful in all that we say and do. In Christ’s Name we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord God, give us hearts of great expectation as we wait for the glorious return of our Savior, Jesus, the Son of God. We confess far too many daily moments of apathy, indifference, and distraction. Forgive us, Lord, for these patterns of passionless discipleship. Instead, plant in us a sense of adventure, a growing excitement over Christ’s coming. May we be full of joy even now as we anticipate the day of His arrival. And may we be found faithful in that moment. All this we pray in the merciful name of Jesus. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord Jesus Christ, you reveal God to us, yet we are sometimes repulsed, bored, or exhausted by what we see. We become jaded to your work in the world, and our eyes glaze over rather than getting excited by your revelations. You manifest yourselves to us through the scriptures, in quiet prayers, and in wise counsel. Yet we are slow to listen, and we ignore these epiphanies. We need your Spirit’s strength to open our eyes and soften our hearts. Forgive us these and all our sins, as we continue to confess in silence…
Silient Prayer.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
God of justice, you repeatedly call us to action, but we so often fail to respond. Your word convicts us, demonstrating that inaction is just as sinful as the wrong actions. Lord of mercy, forgive us for the times we’ve been silent in the face of injustice, when we’ve turned a blind eye toward suffering and brokenness. Renew our passion for the downtrodden as we silently confess our sins to you now.
Time of silent reflection.
Amen.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Holy God, we come to confession realizing that we are often aware of the big sins in our lives, but we ignore the sins we think are small. We ask Your forgiveness for times when we have been apathetic, indifferent, impatient, judgmental, dismissive, entitled, and mean. We pray for the ways we have been blinded by our possessions, blinded by our anger, and blinded by our loyalty to self instead of to You. Forgive us and remind us that we are called to a different way of life. We know that being Your disciples involves dying to ourselves so that we can live for You. In the shadow of Your grace we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord Jesus Christ, you reveal God to us, yet we are sometimes repulsed, bored, or exhausted by what we see. We become jaded to your work in the world, and our eyes glaze over rather than getting excited by your revelations. You manifest yourselves to us through the scriptures, in quiet prayers, and in wise counsel. Yet we are slow to listen, and we ignore these epiphanies. We need your Spirit’s strength to open our eyes and soften our hearts. Forgive us these and all our sins, as we continue to confess in silence…
Silient Prayer.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
For the times when we fail to notice others’ needs, we repent.
For our apathy for those you’ve entrusted to us, we repent.
For the amount of time we spend focused on ourselves, we repent.
For failing to pray for others, we repent.
Please forgive us for our selfishness as we silently confess all that keeps us from follow you…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Heavenly Father, forgive us for the times when we take advantage of your unfailing love. You forgive us day in and day out, you never fail us, and you’ll never leave us. As a result, we become complacent, too comfortable with our mediocrity. We fail to strive for the good plans you’ve laid out for our lives. Please forgive us for cheapening your grace. Renew our gratitude for the sacrifice you made for us as we silently confess our sins before you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Gracious God, you have called us to be a unified body, working together that which you have willed for the world. In our apathy, we fail to participate in the work you have called us to do. In our division, we refuse to work with others to accomplish your will. Please give us a passion to serve you alongside one another. We confess to you these and other sins.
Time of silent reflection and confession…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But thou, 0 Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, 0 most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
Thomas Cranmer, The Book of Common Prayer, Great Confession for Morning and Evening Prayer.
Gracious God, you call us to a life of intimate relationship with you and with one another. You call us to a life of community, where we actively seek the needs of others before our own. We acknowledge the ways we’ve fallen short of this standard. We repent of our selfishness. We repent of our apathy toward the needs of other. We repent of our laziness. We repent of the times when we neglect worshipping you. We repent of the times when we’ve failed to engage in your covenant community. Renew our desire for your church as we silently confess our sins before you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill