Prayers of Confession on Faithfulness
Steadfast, ever faithful God, you are always with us. Day in and day out, you provide for us, you show us your grace, you inspire awe within us as we experience your goodness. But almighty God, our memory is so short! We forget your great acts of goodness and desire more signs from you. Lord, remind us of your power today. Revive within us a sense of gratitude for who you are and what you do as we silently confess our lack of contentment to you…
Austin D. Hill
Gracious Lord, our efforts at being faithful seem to produce mixed results. Sometimes we do what is right and the result is pain and suffering. Other times we turn our back on what is right and things seem to go just fine. Faithful living is confusing to us. Forgive us when we are faithful just to gain an advantage. Forgive us when we reject faithful living because we can’t see any advantage. Have mercy on us, we pray, and help us to love You so deeply that the only desire of our heart is to honor You with our lives, no matter what the outcome. We ask all this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
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 Lord, our efforts at being faithful seem to produce mixed results. Sometimes we do what is right and the result is pain and suffering. Other times we turn our back on what is right and things seem to go just fine. Faithful living is confusing to us. Forgive us when we are faithful just to gain an advantage. Forgive us when we reject faithful living because we can’t see any advantage. Have mercy on us, we pray, and help us to love You so deeply that the only desire of our heart is to honor You with our lives, no matter what the outcome. We ask it in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Loving God, you love us so much that you invite us to a life of transformation. You call us to live outside ourselves, and to follow you more faithfully with each day that passes. We confess to you that we often fail to grow closer to you, and to grow together as a church. Please help us to humble ourselves to the point where we are willing to be transformed for you. Please renew our desire to faithfully follow you as we silently confess our sins to you now.…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
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 God, we confess to You that our spiritual lives are often dry. At times we feel abandoned or unworthy. We have moments when we doubt Your presence. We even question Your reliability. And yet, You steadfastly offer us refreshing Living Water. Forgive our unfaithfulness, Lord. Truly You are a merciful and gracious God who is ready to restore us. Only You through Christ can give us the abundance we crave. We thank You and praise You for satisfying us when we need You most. We freely drink this water of forgiveness and healing in the Name of Jesus, our Savior. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Merciful God, if we are honest, we recognize that every fiber of our being is impacted by our imperfections and sins. Even our acts of obedience and faithfulness are overshadowed by our tendencies toward selfishness. Please show us our complete dependence upon you as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Loving and forgiving God, we confess that we find it easier to follow the crowd than to follow you. We seek the praise of other humans, rather than seeking to give you joy with our faithfulness. When you call us to display values which do not make any sense to the world, we often disobey. Forgive us for these and for all of our sins, as we continue to pray in silence.
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Lord God, you have claimed us. You have given us the perfect example of faithfulness in the face of temptation, but we fall so short of the example you have given us in Jesus. We continually try to grow in our abilities to follow you, but we continually fall short. Lord remind us of our need for you as we come to you in silent confession.
Time of silent reflection.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Dear God, Sometimes fear is an idol that we believe will help us control our lives. Sometimes fear is a companion that we let take the place of You. Sometimes fear is the enemy that tells us You are not greater. Forgive us when we let our fear be larger than our faith, and when we forget that you are a faithful God. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Heavenly Father, you are faithful, even when we are not. We look to the examples of our parents, and they often fall short. We, too, fall short when we consider the legacy we pass on to our children, families, and friends. Yet you are the continual provider. Please help us to live in such a way that those who come after us will be inspired by our legacies. Please forgive us when we do not live in such a way that people want to follow us. We confess our sins to you in silent confession, now…
Time of silent reflection.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Call to Confession: The prophet asks the Lord’s people, “Who can endure the Lord’s coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” Let us come before Almighty God in humility, confessing our sins.
Prayer of Confession: Almighty God, you have been in our midst, and we have not been faithful. We fail to acknowledge your presence, living as if we can do whatever we want. We ignore the needs of others, we ignore your commands, and we wonder why we aren’t aware of your presence. Please forgive us for our inattentiveness toward you and your ways. Please help us to see you in our midst as come to you in silent confession.
Time of silent reflection
Amen.
Austin D. Hill
Almighty God, you are faithful, true, and unchanging, but we do not always trust and obey. You as we should. In our pride we challenge Your rule over us. In our shortsightedness we are slow to obey, or we ignore Your commands altogether. In our rush to claim what is ours, we forget that everything belongs to You. In thought and deed, we have sinned against You. Open our eyes, God, to see You as You are. Forgive us for these and other sins and have mercy on us in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Heavenly Father, You are so gracious and we acknowledge Your constant care and devotion for us. You have promised to give Your children the peace that is beyond our understanding. And still, we are guilty of trying to control the stresses of life on our own and in our own strength. Forgive us, Lord, for not trusting in Your precepts. Forgive us for not fully believing in Your faithfulness and goodness. Calm our spirits and deepen our faith in You. We give our stress and anxiety to You and receive Your mercy. Help us to overcome the challenges before us and to glorify You in all things. In Christ’s Name we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
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