Prayers of Confession on Grace
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 stars 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
Adapted from Isaiah 35:1–10
God of majesty and glory,
we are thirsty for your grace.
You made a way for us in the wilderness,
and still, in our foolishness, we go astray.
We hide our eyes from your presence.
We do not listen to your word.
We are lifeless when we ought to dance
and speechless when we ought to sing.
Forgive us, O Lord.
Speak peace to our fearful hearts,
strengthen our weak hands,
and make firm our feeble knees
as we seek to follow in your holy way. Amen.
Adapted from Psalm 6 and “Morning Needs” in The Valley of Vision
Pastor: “O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
All: “My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long? Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.”
Pastor: Lord, I come to you for the grace another year will require for its duties and events. As I step out into a wicked world, I carry in me an evil heart. I know that without you I can do nothing, and I know that my heart is prone to evil and wickedness.
All: Teach me how to use the world, and not abuse it, to redeem my time, to walk in wisdom and kindness toward my neighbors, to do good to all men, and to you be all the glory.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Inspired by Matthew 4:12-23
All: Holy Father, You are gracious to call us to Yourself. You are the King of kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Treasure of treasures, worthy of our lives. And just like Jesus called out His disciples to come and follow Himself, He bids us come, follow, live, die, and live again. Yet, we fail to hear and heed His call. We stop up our ears so that we can pretend not to hear Him. Forgive us for believing that we are too busy to follow where You lead us. Forgive us for trying to steer our lives where we think we should go, rather than submitting our lives to you. Restore to us the joy of our salvation—Christ Himself—and help us follow Him and You and Your Holy Spirit, World without end. Amen.
Inspired by 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
All: Oh kind and generous God, You have condescended so graciously to our humble needs. You have given us holy baptism to teach us such a simple truth: the blood of Christ washes away our sins. Great glory! Yet even in this, we Your people find a way to sin by boasting in the number of people whom we serve. We boast to each other about innumerable other things—how we vote, how we take care of our homes, our incomes, how much we give, how spiritual we are, how humble we are. How foolish we are! Kindly show us our foolishness and gently lead through repentance and into wisdom and true humility. Do all this for the sake of the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen!
Submitted by Dustin Ray
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
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
What can we say, O Lord, to justify ourselves? You shower us with grace upon grace. Your mercies are new every morning. And we find it hard to forgive others. Sometimes we are petty and hold grudges for years. Other times we are proud, waiting for the other person to admit guilt first. While other times we have experienced trauma and have no healed from it. Lord, free us today from the unforgiveness that shackles us as we confess our sins to you now.…
Time of silent reflection.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Gracious God, we’ve gathered this morning seeking forgiveness for the sins we’ve committed in our lives and to hear Your words of pardon and grace. We’ve fallen short of Your expectations for us.
We have insisted on doing things our way instead of trusting You and following where You would lead us. Like the criminal on the cross, help us to recognize that even though we deserve to pay for our sins, it’s because of the sacrifice of Your Son that forgiveness can be ours. Grant us that forgiveness and create in us a new heart We ask these things in the Name of Your Son, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Loving God, you show us grace and mercy, again and again and again. You shower gifts on us that we could never earn, and you are slow to punish us when we most deserve it. All too often, we forget to give you thanks. We take your grace for granted, and we assume your mercy will always be there. Even worse, we are so slow to share your grace and mercy with others, out of gratitude for what you have done for us in Jesus Christ. Forgive us for these and all our sins, as we continue to pray in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
O God who will not let us go, we confess that we have been so wrapped up in ourselves that have not loved You with our whole hearts, and we have not loved our neighbors as we love ourselves. By Your grace and through Your transforming love, open our hearts wide to You; forgive what we have been, help us change what we are, and direct what we shall be, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways, to the glory of your holy Name. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Your grace, O God, has appeared for the salvation of all, calling us to renounce false gods and irresponsible love. In the midst of our sin, Christ has appeared as a sign of our hope, redeeming us and calling us to be a people eager to do your will. Make us zealous for good deeds in response to your wonderful deed in Jesus Christ. We confess the vain worship of ourselves and our neglect of your
James G. Kirk. When We Gather, Revised Edition: A Book of Prayers for Worship.
Father, thank You that we have been declared righteous through faith in Christ. Because of the completed work of Jesus, we have peace with You and access to Your amazing grace. Yet, in spite of this, we take our eyes off of You. At times, we are prone to despair. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to remember that Jesus is our strength. Help us to mature and rejoice in Him even in our trials and tribulations. Give us grace that will produce a patient and godly character that is honoring to You. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
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
God of lasting forgiveness, You are not surprised to find us standing before Your throne once again, asking for Your forgiveness. It’s true, Father: we have sinned again. In our thinking, in our doing, in our negligence, and in our self-righteousness, we ask once more for Your forgiveness. O God, we harbor an unfounded fear that one day Your grace will run out; that Your forgiveness will be exhausted. But each time we come before You, You once more welcome us with open arms. Thank You for a forgiveness that has not failed and will never fail. In the Name of Jesus Christ, who has forgiven all, we pray, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Holy Spirit, you have come to reconcile us to each other, but we resist your work to bind us together. We hold onto grudges. Even though we know God has forgiven us in Jesus Christ, we are slow to forgive each other. We have received grace, but we struggle to share it with others. Change our hearts, O Spirit, and grant us Christ’s willingness to forgive. Forgive us for these and all our sins, as we continue to pray in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Loving father, there are times when it feels like we never get it right. We compare ourselves to others and we don’t measure up. It seems like we can never get our act together and live up to the standard of your perfection. Please forgive us, but please also help us to rest in your grace. Please show us your immense love as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Gracious God, you forgive us whenever we ask, and so we ask you now to forgive all of our sins.
We need your grace again, for we often return to the same sins, over and over again.
Your Spirit longs to make us more and more like Jesus,
Yet we resist, holding on to our old patterns of living as long as we can.
We presume upon your grace, counting on your forgiveness.
Give us, O God, the kind of faith which changes us more and more each day into Christ’s likeness,
And forgive us again when we seem to be moving in the wrong direction.
Pardon us for these and all of our sins, as we continue to pray in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
We confess, Gracious God, that we are a forgiven people who still need forgiveness. As Christians, it is easy to take this forgiveness for granted, and leave our lives unchanged. It is tempting to sin boldly in the false assurance that all is pardoned automatically. Remind us again of the good news that your son Jesus Christ took our sin seriously enough to die on the cross. Forgive us for presuming upon your grace, and for committing all our sins, as we continue to confess in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Loving and gracious God, we know we do not always live the life to which we are called: We turn away from You, and from our true selves. You command us to shine Your light, but we often hide it instead. We are prideful and self-righteous, and desire control instead of trusting You to guide our steps. We know that You love us, that You do not abandon us, and that You pursue us even when we turn away from You. Thank You for loving us unconditionally, Forgive us, we pray, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
The grace of God overflows for us through Christ Jesus, who came into the world to save sinners. We therefore, confess, holy and merciful God, our failure to be what you created us to be. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love. By your loving mercy, help us to live in your light, and abide in your ways as we silently confess our sins to you…
Austin D. Hill
Eternal and Glorious God, Your grace calls us toward growth and service in You. Yet today we acknowledge the many times we have forgotten Your mercy and rejected Your love. Forgive us when we sin against You Through our thoughts, words, and deeds. Forgive us when we neglect to think, speak, and do as You desire. Renew and restore us, O God. Help us to run the race You put before us with perseverance, patience, and passion. In His name we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord, we confess that we do not love you with our whole hearts
And we do not love our neighbour as ourselves.
We seek the blessing of others
Rather than the blessing of your grace
We seek comfort in wealth
Rather than a generosity which reflects Christ
We live as rulers of our own kingdoms
Rather than sons and daughters in yours
Have mercy on us
Humble us
And make us hungry again for life with you
Amen
Jacob Traeger
God our Father
We confess to you and to one another
That we have been quick to anger
And slow to mercy
We have paid back abuse with abuse
Hatred with hatred
And violence with violence
The world does not always see you in us
Make us people of mercy and love
Pour out your Spirit of grace upon us
So that we would overflow with love
Not just for one another, but for those we call enemies
In Jesus’ name we pray
Amen
Jacob Traeger
O God, who is rich in mercy,
We come before you humbled and in need of your grace. Many of us have been in the church for so long that we have forgotten how each day your mercies are new, your grace sustains us from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day, and year to year. We become forgetful, and take your love for granted. We act as though we are your firstborn, deserving of every gift, without doing the hard work of repentance and obedience that characterize life in You. Restore in us a sense of wonder at the depth of your mercies, awe in the grace that you show us each day. And help us to live out of those truths, so that when people look at our lives-they might see love, humility, kindness and gratitude for everything you have given to us.
Amen.
Stuart Strachan Jr.
Most holy God, we continuously lose sight of your sovereign rule over our world and in our lives, and our failing vision obscures every aspect of our lives. So we come to you for grace. Forgive us for losing sight of your grandeur. Forgive us for taking our sin lightly. We ask you to restore our vision of your eternal grandeur, and that you cover our sins by the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gracious God, we let the darkness of our sin overwhelm us and paralyze us from changing course. We think forgiveness must be earned and that Your grace is not sufficient. We remain slaves to sin, rather than benefactors of Your great mercy. Forgive our sins and release us from the grip of our failures. Turn our eyes to the future You desire for us, for You alone are the Hope of the World. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
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