Prayers of Confession on Obedience
Adapted from Leviticus 26:14-46
Pastor: Oh God, we have not listened to you, and we have not walked in all of your commandments. We have spurned your statutes, and our souls have abhorred your laws.
All: I have not followed you in your commandments, and I have broken your covenant. The sin in my heart and in my life has caused panic and heart ache—both in me an in those around me.
Pastor: Even after you have shown us grace and mercy, we have walked contrary to your commandments. We have not listened to you, and we have continued to walk contrary to your direction.
All: I confess that I have sinned; all the generations in my family have sinned. I humble my heart before you, O God. You have kept Your covenant even when I have broken it. Remember me with grace, O Father.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from Psalm 51:1-2, 8-9
All: God, have mercy on me according to your faithful love. Because your love is so tender and kind, wipe out my lawless acts. Wash away all the evil things I’ve done. Make me pure from my sin. Let me hear you say, “Your sins are forgiven.” That will bring me joy and gladness. Let the body you have broken be glad. Take away all my sins. Wipe away all the evil things I’ve done. God, create a pure heart in me. Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you. Don’t send me away from you. Don’t take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me back the joy that comes from being saved by you. Give me a spirit that obeys you so that I will keep going.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from Psalm 57:1-2; 61:1-3
Pastor: Heavenly Father, this morning as we worship in your presence, my mind settles on the fact that I have blown it. I’ve disobeyed your commandments, I’ve sinned so many times, and I have not loved you as you have loved me.
All: “Be merciful to me, O God; be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.”
Pastor: God you are so good to me! You promised that you would never punish me or abandon me for my sins since you punished and abandoned Jesus in my place. Will you please send your Holy Spirit to walk with me, to show me your love, and to guide me this week?
All: “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.”
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Loving God, we reflect on the times when we took too long to obey you. Give us courage next time.
(silent reflection)
Merciful God, we reflect on the instances where we failed to see your leading. Help us be more attentive next time.
(silent reflection)
God of justice, we consider the moments when we were too afraid to take action. Mobilize us next time.
(silent reflection)
O Lord give us grace.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
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
Merciful God, You made us in Your image, with minds to know You, hearts to love You, and wills to serve You. But our knowledge is imperfect, our love inconstant, and our obedience incomplete. We refuse to go where You lead us. We fail to grow into Your likeness. Have mercy upon us. Forgive us and free us from our sin. We ask in the gracious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Heavenly Father, we confess that we are not always able, willing, and ready to be vessels of your work. Thank you for the times that you cultivate our receptive hearts and fruitful hands. In your abundant mercy, sow in us seeds of your love, your grace, and your truth. Encourage us with your Holy Spirit, so that we are more and more prepared to receive and live your word. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, your living word, who grants our forgiveness. Hear our prayers as we continue our confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Gracious Sanctifier, you help us to become more like Jesus each day. You point us toward Jesus and help us see our need for Christ’s forgiveness. Please help us today to recognize our need for you as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Heavenly Father, please forgive us for when we are not setting an example with our speech, with our faith, in our conduct, in our love, or in our purity. Too often we ignore your word and all that we’ve been taught. Please help us to follow you more faithfully as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Faithful God, You never quit on us. You are always near. Despite our humanness, You work in us to fulfill Your good purposes. We seek Your face, oh God. But sometimes, we get in our own way. We grumble and complain and lose sight of the greater thing. We argue and turn our focus inward, instead of looking to You. We’re self-reliant and we grow weary. Help us to stand firm so that we don’t run in vain. Forgive us our faults and our warped ways. Remove any stump or shortcoming so we may shine among those we meet. Through Your great power among us, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Loving and gracious God, we admit to You that we have distorted Your Word. Too often we pick and choose which part of Your Word to proclaim. Shying away from Your call to give all who we are, we only follow the part of Your Word that doesn’t ask much of us. Please forgive us for our unfaithfulness to Your Word as we confess our sins…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
We have been bought with a great price, yet we sin against You by choosing our ways over Your ways. You invite us into dynamic discipleship, but we are timid, weak-minded, and hard-hearted in our response to follow You. Forgive us, O God, and may our hearts be revived, may our minds be renewed, and may our wills be conformed to Yours. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Heavenly Father, forgive us when we become so consumed with the details of life that we do not see the opportunities that you have placed before us. Open our eyes to your call to extend love, by communicating with grace and by speaking truth in the world around us. Give us obedient and wise hearts that allow us to see your Kingdom and speak with your words. We pray these things in the name of the one who is your Word, Christ Jesus. Hear our prayers as we continue our confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Merciful God, we confess that we have often failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors, and have refused to hear the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray, and free us for joyful obedience; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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
Kind and loving God, forgive us for our lack of faith. You deserve our reverence, obedience, and faith, but we give You so much less. Because of our lukewarm devotion, we miss out on so much that You have for us. Please forgive us for all the times when we’ve not placed our trust in You as we silently confess our sins to You now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Loving Father, we desire to be obedient, but, in reality, we don’t always obey. At times we decide to take our own road and divert from what You want us to do. We insist that our own way is the best, but it never is, and never will be. Even when we get off track, You will always be there for us; You are a solid foundation. Remind us of this fact as we walk in faith, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious God, forgive us for the opportunities we’ve wasted. You’ve placed us in the perfect situation to help raise other people up, so they would be equipped to follow you. But we squander those opportunities, and fail to live as the example you call us to live out. Please empower us to encourage others in their faith as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
God of Tender Mercies, You have called us to walk with You, work with You, and follow You. However, there are times we’d prefer to go it alone, or to pattern our lives around penultimate heroes. Forgive us for drowning out Your voice, or for lazing about in the good news of our faith without considering the deep commitment into which You call us. By Your Holy Spirit make us whole, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord God, the grace and mercy, that You express to us through Jesus Christ is almost impossible to understand. How, in Your holiness, could You possibly cancel the debt incurred by our sin? But that’s exactly what You have done through the miracle of the shed blood of Christ. You have provided us with the ultimate example of forgiveness. Yet, we often look at our own opportunities to forgive as a duty rather than a privilege. At times, we forgive others with reluctance and gnashing of teeth. Sometimes we “forgive” with conditions. Teach us more about humility, Lord. Help us to show others the same compassion that You have shown us. Everything we have, we have only because of Your mercy towards us. We receive Your gracious forgiveness, Father, and commit ourselves to pass the torch of total forgiveness to others. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
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Check out our Calls to Worship on Obedience.