Prayers of Confession on Desire
Adapted from Psalm 38:1-4, 9, 15, 18, 21-22
Pastor: O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
All: There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
Pastor: O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
All: I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. Do not forsake me, O LORD! My God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from Psalm 73:1–28 (Includes Assurance of Pardon)
Certainly God is good to his people, to those pure in heart,
but as for me, I nearly stumbled; I nearly lost my sure
footing.
I struggle with envy as I look at the those in the world who
act arrogantly and yet just seem to get richer.
I struggle with grief and bitterness towards God. I’ve lost
my bearings and acted foolishly. Like a beast only driven
by worldly desire and cravings.
~ Silent Confession ~
Assurance of Pardon (Together)
In all this, you haven’t cast me away. You keep me
close to your side. You continue to guide me by your
Word and counsel, and after all of this you will
welcome me into your glorious presence!
What can the world offer to me that I don’t already
have in You?!
There’s nothing for me here better than You. My flesh
and my heart aren’t trustworthy, but You are and you
give me strength! My cup overflows with endless provision.
Anyone who doesn’t have you doesn’t have life and
will certainly perish. Our God is a consuming fire!
I know that my best can only come when I’m near You!
I will run to You for safety and provision and tell
others of all you’ve done for me!
Christ Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Jonesboro, Arkansas
Adapted from Psalm 135:15-18
All: “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.” We have wanted more money and more things more than we have wanted more time with You, Jesus. We think more money, more toys, better health, more screen time, and more freedom will make us happy. But only you, Jesus, can fill our hearts with joy
and wipe away our tears. Please forgive us, and help our hearts to want you more than anything else.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from Proverbs 24:1-2, 5-6
Pastor: “Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them, for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble.”
All: Forgive me, O God, for I have envied evil people who have more than I do. I have desired their comfort and their toys and their easy living more than I have desired your glory. Forgive me by the power of Jesus’ blood.
Pastor: “A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”
All: Give me wisdom, O God, to trust in the Gospel. Help me to wage war against Satan, sin, and death through the power of the Holy Spirit. Give my Christian brothers and sisters victory in our fight of faith.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from Romans 7:18-25
Pastor: For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.
All: For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
Pastor: Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So, I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
All: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Lord, through history Your people have refused Your plans in exchange for self-indulgence. Adam and Eve sought to define good and evil for themselves. The Israelites demanded water in the desert. David took Bathsheba and killed her husband. Today, we are no different. We exchange intimacy for fantasy. We horde wealth rather than trust in Your provision. We confuse self-help for discipleship. Lord, You declare, “My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Forgive us for trusting more in ourselves and our desires than trusting in You and Your plans. We are sorry. Change our hearts. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Almighty God, the Giver of life and Forgiver of sins, we come to You now with hope: Hope because You always love us, even though at times it seems like we have been forsaken. Hope because you do not hold our sins against us, but instead grant us Your grace. Hope because You turn our hearts toward You and give us the courage to trust You in a world filled with darkness. Help us, Lord, to confess our sins, remembering that Your Son died for our sins so that we might be reconciled to You. Create in us the desire to serve You faithfully in all that we say and do. In Christ’s Name we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord, only You are significant enough to deserve glory. So why do we desire glory for ourselves? Lord, to know You is to have eternal life. So why are we satisfied with worldly wisdom and living in the moment? Through Jesus, we receive the love of the Father. So why do we hunger for the love of the world? Our desires are no longer trustworthy guides to goodness, and what seems natural to us no longer corresponds to Your design. Lord, Forgive us for our failures, overhaul the desires of our hearts, and grant us greater trust in Jesus, our Savior. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Holy God, we come to You confessing that we never have enough. We are never satisfied with what You have given us. We look at others with envy and we want more, even when our homes are overflowing with stuff. We think we are in need when really we are just in want. We cling tightly to our things, hoping they will bring us security. Help us to realize that our privileged lives are often a burden and a hindrance to Kingdom living. Show us what it means to live in complete submission to You and Your purposes. May we hold tightly only to You. You are everything we need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Heavenly Father, we confess that we are unable to do all the work that you wish for us to do. We are held back by our own desires and our own apprehensions. We know that you make us bearers of your image and ambassadors of your Word, but we too often serve ourselves and not you. Forgive us and redeem us, so that we may grow closer to you. Guide us as people and as a church to reveal Jesus’s sacrifice and generous love through our gifts. We pray these things in his name, and we ask that you receive our continued confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Heavenly Father, we confess that we desire many things in life, but that we are not always prepared to receive the things that you long to provide—the things that you know we need. Help us, by your Holy Spirit, to be prepared for your work in our lives. Let us be your servants, who receive all the blessings of your household. Let us share with others the joy of working in your name. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Hear our confession as we continue our prayers in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Eternal God,
in whom we live and move and have our being,
whose face is hidden from us by our sins,
and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts:
Cleanse us from all our offenses,
and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires,
that with reverent and humble hearts
we may draw near to you,
confessing our faults,
confiding in your grace,
and finding in you our refuge and strength;
through Jesus Christ your Son, Amen.
Eternal and Almighty God, To You is due all our praise and thanksgiving. You are a gracious, loving Lord! But we create false gods we choose to worship. Money, power, and pleasure guide our steps, not Your life-giving Holy Spirit. We put our trust in our efforts, not in Your grace and truth. We value what our culture offers, not the clear teachings of Scripture. Forgive us for our idolatry, O God. Help us to live as Your Son’s disciples to the glory and honor of Your name. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
(Prayer of Adoration)
Great God our Father: You are good and You are strong.
You are faithful and true,
and You won’t tempt or lie to us.
In a world that appeals to our sinful cravings
and dominated by spin:
You alone are worthy of our trust, loyalty and love.
You alone have loved us with such an everlasting love
as to give Your Son or us.
You alone never abandon us, living with and within us
by Your Holy Spirit.
(Prayer of Confession)
Yet, we so easily trade Your truth for a lie,
and substitute our lusts for Your love.
We blame others for our errors and for our wanton sin.
We close our eyes to the truth about who we are
and run from the truth of who You are.
Forgive us for choosing to love and live for the world:
by following our own cravings,
giving into the lust of our eyes, and
boasting of who we are,
what we’ve done and what we’ve got.
Hear us as we say,
in whispers too soft for any one else to hear but You,
the sin we’re too ashamed to let anyone else know
but You who know all about us and love us anyway.
Hear our silent confessions of sin: (PAUSE)
Almighty God, In our pride we have strayed from You. We have followed the desires of our hearts while ignoring what You desire for us. We have left things that matter undone while being consumed by the busyness we have created. Forgive us for our sins and help us to realign our lives with You. May we humbly seek You in thought, word and deed. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church