Prayers of Confession on Need
Inspired by Romans 3:23
Holy God, we need you. Through our sins, we regularly fall short of your glory. We separate ourselves from you. We are powerless to save ourselves. You alone can save us through the grace offered to us in Jesus’ living, serving, dying, and rising again. We offer ourselves to you, trusting in your gracious mercy. Please forgive us for the sins we silently confess to you now…
Austin D. Hill
Adapted from John 1:10-11; Isaiah 52:7-10
Father in Heaven, we confess that we never knew you had come down. We confess that we were in the dark as to your light among us. Though the world was created through your Word, we could not grasp the reality that he had entered into our neighborhood and taken up residence. We could not receive him whom we did not see. In all his humility, in his appearance in unexpected places, we were blind. We have only ourselves to blame for not opening our eyes of faith and ears of understanding. May You forgive us and once again on this Nativity of Christ’s birth proclaim the good news of your comfort and redemption to us, so that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God. Amen.
Scott Bullock
Gracious and loving God, we stand in awe of You. You are holy, You are worthy, You are perfect, You are God. But our hearts often are indifferent, our wills often are enslaved, and our actions betray our confession of faith. We are sinners in desperate need of Your grace and love. Only by Your grace can we stop the misdirection of our lives, and turn ourselves back toward Your loving arms. Embrace us with Your lovingkindness, understand us with Your compassion, complete us with Your redemption. encourage us with Your Spirit. In humility and with thanksgiving, we pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious and Heavenly Father,
In your word, you call us to be comforted first and foremost by You.
But often, if we are honest, we look for comfort in different places.
We look for comfort in our busyness, in our work, in a glass of wine.
But we know, deep down, that true comfort comes from you. Help us to turn first to you in our deepest need. And may we find your powerful, peaceful presence in that place.
Amen.
Stuart Strachan Jr.
As the deer pants for the water, so we need you, O God. However, we don’t always turn toward to you as we need. Instead of seeking you, we turn to cheap and easy solutions. Please show us that you alone can satisfy us as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Eternal God, in whom we gain strength and hope: We thank You for your incredible love. The height, depth, and width of Your love cannot be measured or comprehended. Yet by trusting in the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we may experience it. Praise be to Your Name! Now we confess to You the many times we choose to neither live in Your love, nor to express Your love through our words and actions. We love ourselves instead of loving our neighbors and loving You with all we have and all we are. We focus on our needs and wants; our worries and cares; and our goals and purposes, rather than on Your redeeming and sustaining love. Forgive us, gracious Lord. Free us from our self-centeredness so we may love You and love others, and thus bring honor to Your Name. We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Heavenly Father, we confess that we too often center our lives around ourselves and our immediate needs, and that this blinds us from being aware of the needs of our neighbors. Help us to know our true needs, and to use what you have given us in ways that give you the most glory. Guide our decisions and our steps, that through our own life, you may be known. Hear our prayers as we continue our confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
God of mercy, we ignore the needs of people around us all too often. We get caught up in our own issues and forget that there are millions of people who struggle for basic necessities on a daily basis. Please open our eyes to the need in our community and world, as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
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
Dear Lord, we praise You and thank You for Your goodness and grace, for creating us and putting us in the world, for dying for us and giving us new life. We confess we do not live as redeemed sinners. We still hesitate to trust in Your loving plan for our lives. Our overwhelming and consuming concern continues to revolve around our own needs rather than those of others. We say we love You with our lips when our hearts are so easily distracted by earthly things. We humbly ask for Your forgiveness. Jesus, help us to hold true to what we have attained by Your grace. We pray this in Christ’s Name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
All-Gracious God, we have become callous to those in need, holding back compassion yet unsparing with judgment. We defend our motivations, rather than using all you have given us to love and care for the least of these. Hear our confessions and heal our hearts. May we be people of mercy, as you are merciful, and people of love, just as you loved us.
Submitted by Laura Murray
Almighty God, you created us good, but by our sin, we have corrupted that goodness. Through our sinful nature, our default way of life is rejection of you, living for self, and doing what’s easiest. We are sorry for assuming we can save ourselves. Please show us our absolute need for you as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Austin D. Hill
Psalm 142:5-7a
“I cry to you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name.’”
Too often my prison is self-made, with my pride, and ability to judge others. Forgive
me and give me a humble spirit.
Bud Thoreen