Prayers of Confession on Gifts
Adapted from Judges 2
Pastor: Oh God, you have been so gracious to us. You have given us so many wonderful gifts—they outnumber the starts in the sky! You have kept your promises to us, and you have been faithful!
All: But we, O God, have forgotten your grace and your faithfulness. The idols that we enjoy—self-righteousness, safety, prosperity—entice us and ensnare us. We think that we are our own god and king, but that’s who you are.
Pastor: We cry out for forgiveness to you, merciful Father! Only through Jesus’ death in our place do we have your forgiveness.
All: Continue to be faithful to your promise to love us, to walk with us, and to teach us. Strengthen us this week so that we may love, trust, and obey you, our gracious God.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Reflection on Psalm 89 and Jeremiah 23
Heavenly Father, You and Your Gifts are Perfect. We are not. You lead us with abundant mercy, justice, and grace. We are slow to follow. We abandon the straight and narrow path of life in which You direct us for the wide and easy path that leads to our own destruction. You call us to care for one another, for the weak and the vulnerable, to gather them in grace; yet, we are prone to abandon them and see them scattered. We dismiss the needs of our fellow human beings by forsaking your law to love our neighbor as ourselves. We confess our waywardness and ask for your forgiveness.
Scott Bullock
Lord God, You are the perfect Creator, and You tell us we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We confess that our pride prevents us from believing this truth. We question Your craftsmanship and often wish that you had made us a different way. Heal us of this sinful tendency. Help us celebrate how You have made us in Your image with perfect purpose and care. Lord, we know that You call us into Your holy service to use our gifts to further Your Kingdom on earth. We confess that we find ourselves using our God-given gifts to further our own agendas instead of Yours. Renew our hearts and strengthen us. Go with us as we do the work You have given each of us to do. In the powerful Name of Christ, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
(Prayer of Adoration)
Lord – You are good …and Your goodness knows no bounds.
When we were lost, You sought us out,
found us and brought us home.
When we were alone, You came near to us,
and You gave us a new circle of friends and family.
Each breath we take, each sunrise we see,
Each heartbeat we feel and each song we sing or hear –
All are gifts from You.
(Prayer of Confession)
Yet, we’ve grown complacent in Your blessings:
Taking them for granted, rather than as signs of Your grace;
Keeping them for ourselves, rather than using them to bless others.
Forgive our selfish hearts and closed fists.
Forgive our self-importance
that leads us to take ourselves too seriously,
to take You too lightly and to forget others altogether.
Forgive us what we’re too embarrassed to name out loud,
As you hear the silent confessions of our hearts and the whispers of our souls … [Silence] AMEN.
Lord God, we know that you are life, the life which is the light of the world
But sometimes we allow the darkness to close in
We find ourselves driven apart from you
We confess that we do not always trust Christ’s gifts
Sacrificing grace and truth in order to get ahead in the world
We do not always listen to your Spirit’s teaching and direction
Trusting instead in our own intellect or hard work
Please forgive our thoughtlessness, carelessness, willful ignorance and disobedience
Jacob Traeger
Gracious and Loving God, in the midst of all our received Blessings, we have failed to be the people You’ve called us to be. We have squandered our time, our talents, and our treasure. We have lost our sense of wonder and awe. We have failed to recognize Your presence in our lives and to trust You always. Forgive us, Lord, for living in a way that goes against Your will. Grant us the strength and courage to resist the temptations that come into our lives. Like the Apostle Andrew, renew in us a desire to serve You faithfully and to bring others to Your Son. In Christ’s Name we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord God, You are the perfect Creator, and You tell us we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We confess that our pride prevents us from believing this truth. We question Your craftsmanship and often wish that you had made us a different way. Heal us of this sinful tendency. Help us celebrate how You have made us in Your image with perfect purpose and care. Lord, we know that You call us into Your holy service to use our gifts to further Your Kingdom on earth. We confess that we find ourselves using our God-given gifts to further our own agendas instead of Yours. Renew our hearts and strengthen us. Go with us as we do the work You have given each of us to do. In the powerful Name of Christ, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Holy and merciful God, in your presence we confess our sinfulness, our shortcomings, and our offenses against you. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love. Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we are ashamed and sorry for all we have done to displease you. Forgive our sins, and help us to live in your light, and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Constant sustainer, you are the ultimate source of life. You tell us in your word that every good and perfect gift comes from you. You also tell us that even the birds of the air are provided for. But we find it so easy to doubt. We start to believe that you don’t care for us, or that you aren’t looking after us. Please help us to know your love and provision today. Please help us to see your constant care as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Gracious God, we fail to give to others, when you have so generously given to us. We look for our maximum benefit and minimum sacrifice. We have forgotten where every good gift comes from – you. Holy Spirit, shape our hearts to have a posture of gratitude and open our hands to give, that others might see you generous grace and love.
Submitted by Laura Murray
Gracious God, Who pours out freely the gift of Your Holy Spirit: We confess before You that we have failed to recognize this most valuable gift. We have been satisfied with ordinary things, suspicious of unfamiliar things, and blind to spiritual things. Cleanse and forgive us, O Lord. Burn away our presumption and self-sufficiency. Open us in faith to receive the renewing touch of Your hand. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious God, you love us deeply yet we take your love for granted. Rather than trusting you, we trust the gifts you have given us. We confess that our misplaced hope and reliance is on money, intelligence, and resources. Help us hope, trust, and lean into you. Grow our love for you, that we might rely on you, and be more generous with all you have given to us.
Submitted by Laura Murray
Heavenly Father, Although we surrender our lives to you individually, we are called to live and serve in community as one body. Nevertheless, we do not see each other equally or accurately. We tend to think that some are more gifted, more attractive, even more godly than others. Rather than claim Christ’s righteousness for all who believe, we judge one another, even ourselves, on worldly merit. Forgive us, Lord. Redeem us from our wrong thinking. Open our eyes to the truth of your perfect plan for Your church body to work graciously as one. We pray this humbly in Christ’s name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord, we believe your Word when you say that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. You have given us all that we need to live faithfully as your chosen people. But just as often as we turn to you to fill us up, we turn to other places for blessing. We turn to our power or our money or perhaps even our families, instead of resting and relying on You. When we do turn to you, we often try to force our spiritual growth, when all that is needed is to meditate on your great love for us. That is where transformation happens. Help us to turn to you, to lean into you, first and foremost, for our spiritual needs and desires. And may we see your face and your love for us when we do.
Amen.
Stuart Strachan Jr.
Heavenly Father, Although we surrender our lives to you individually, we are called to live and serve in community as one body. Nevertheless, we do not see each other equally or accurately. We tend to think that some are more gifted, more attractive, even more godly than others. Rather than claim Christ’s righteousness for all who believe, we judge one another, even ourselves, on worldly merit. Forgive us, Lord. Redeem us from our wrong thinking. Open our eyes to the truth of your perfect plan for your church body to work graciously as one. We pray this humbly in Christ’s name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious God, in Christ Jesus, you teach us to love our neighbors but instead we build dividing walls of hostility. You show us how to love one another as sisters and brothers but instead we hide from our own human family. You ask us to seek out the stranger and welcome the guest. You want us to share your abundant gifts with the poor but instead we cling tightly to our possessions and our privilege. You call us to proclaim good news to all people but instead we waste our words and hide our light. Lord, our loving God, have mercy on us. Forgive our sin, open our hearts, and change our lives. Fill us with the Holy Spirit. Make us holy and whole—one people, united in faith, hope, and love through Jesus Christ, Our reconciler and redeemer.
Presbyterian Mission Agency, Resources on Cultural Diversity and Racism
Loving Father, we often come to you to get the most from you. You remain incredibly generous, even though we neglect the greatest gift you give – yourself. Forgive us for ignoring you. Help us to enjoy your presence, your generosity, and most significantly, your abundant love for us. May we encourage others to also know your great love for them.
Submitted by Laura Murray
Holy and merciful God, in your presence we confess our sinfulness, our shortcomings, and our offenses against you. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love. Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we are ashamed and sorry for all we have done to displease you. Forgive our sins, and help us to live in your light, and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Eternal and Generous God, Every good gift comes from You. Your generosity is expressed best Through Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One, Who gave Himself for us. We acknowledge we often doubt Your willingness to give what we need. We do not ask. We do not seek. We do not knock. We think You don’t want to be bothered Because we often don’t want to be bothered By the needs of others. Forgive us for our lack of trust In Your generous nature. Forgive us for our lack of faith In Your sufficient supply. Forgive us for our lack of desire To give to others as You have given to us. Reorient our lives in Your way. Renew us for faithful service in Your Kingdom. We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious God, you are the giver of every good and perfect gift. You give us our talents, our freedom, and our financial resources. We struggle to give back to you from these gifts. We often worry that these gifts are not enough; that we must hold onto them for ourselves and for our family. Remind us again that you have blessed us to be a blessing to others, and free us for more generous living. Forgive us, O God, for all our sins, as we continue to pray in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Gracious God, thank you for the responsibilities you have entrusted to us and for all you have given us to fulfill them. Sometimes, Lord, we can feel overwhelmed by the challenges. A part of us wants to shut down, to run and hide. Help us, we pray, not to be afraid. Give us clarity about our part in your great work. Give us courage to do what you place before us. Give us power to accomplish what we would never be able to do on our own. May you receive all the glory! Amen.
Heavenly Father, forgive us when we neglect our reliance on you. We take for granted many gifts you give, but we also forget your desire to provide. Help us to receive those gifts, whether they are physical or spiritual, remarkable or mundane, so that we may be in the habit of receiving your Word and your will. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, in whom you have provided our greatest gift of redemption. Hear our prayers as we continue our confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Heavenly Father, we confess that we often place value in things that are important, but which may not be fully reflective of your desires. We admit that we settle for things that seem good, but don’t always follow them into the deeper goodness that you seek to reveal. Help us to take stock of all of our gifts and to see how you would have us use them. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, your greatest gift, and we ask that you receive our continued confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Heavenly Father, we confess that we often see difficult circumstances and discouragement as barriers to doing the work you have called us to do. Rather than rejoicing in what you have provided, we lament that we do not have more. Help us to see the gifts that you give and the life that is possible in them. Make your Holy Spirit’s work clear so that we can follow and glorify you, finding energy and encouragement on the way. We pray these things in Jesus’s name, and we ask that you hear our continued confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Almighty God, you bless us so richly. You renew us and give us new life. You equip us with the gifts of your Spirit. You give us an amazing calling to follow you each day. But we fail to use the gifts that you’ve given us. We complain that we don’t have enough. We covet and lust after things we don’t need. Please help us to see how you’ve already blessed us with your gifts as we silently confess our sins to you now.…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
As those three magi brought you gifts, we are reminded of your majesty, oh Christ. You are the savior of the world who embraced human frailty that we might receive salvation. We ask your forgiveness for when we fail to recognize your power, glory, and might. We don’t offer you our best, and live as if you aren’t the king of everything. Please captivate us with your glory as we confess our sins to you now…
Time of silent reflection and confession..
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Jesus, forgive my false following
my misplaced priorities
my misuse of power
my mistreatment of your good gifts
Forgive me for believing destructive voices
Forgive me for using you instead of loving you
Reorder my consuming
Feasting on your presence
You are my bread, my drink, my life
Nurture true faith and trust in me
Time of silent confession
Lisa Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
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