Prayers of Confession on Power
O God, you are the sure foundation and the certain cornerstone. Building on you brings life, yet we often turn away and try to find hope by building on other foundations. Self-esteem, money, career, family status—these are only some of the alternatives we find ourselves investing in. We confess that it is so tempting to construct our lives on the sand, rather than on the rock of your salvation. Forgive us, O God, for these and all of our sins, as we confess in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
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.
Marvelous and merciful God, Your Son modeled leadership and servanthood for us. But we confess we have elevated our desires and plans over Your will for our lives and for Your world. We want authority and power over others to use for our own purposes. Forgive us for our half-hearted devotion and our double-minded attention to Your way. Remind us You desire servants first and foremost. Enable us to serve in the name of Jesus, the One who came to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. In His name we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord, sometimes it’s so difficult to place our trust in you. You make incredible promises to us in your word. You say that through your power, we’ll be able to do even greater things than Jesus did in his ministry. And yet we doubt. Almighty God, creator of all things, renew our faith in you and your power as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Heavenly Father, we confess that we often place our hopes in the powers that we see in the world, allowing ourselves to be lifted and brought down by people and institutions that are flawed and fleeting. We also confess that we do not always seek the goodness and opportunity that you may allow those powers to bear. Help us to become faithful citizens who focus on your Kingdom while seeking your will in our own. Hear our prayers as we continue our confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Please forgive us, O Lord, for we often forget how powerful you are. You are the potentate of time, yet we think we rule our lives. We are sorry for creating images of you that are smaller than reality. Please show yourself to us as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Lord Jesus Christ, strip us of all false notions of power.
Teach us to love the world as you love it, with a generous share of selfless compassion—the foundation for true power. Amen.
Paul E. Hoffman, Wondrous Love: Devotions for Lent 2020, Augsburg Fortress Press, 2020, Kindle Location 196.
O God of grace and truth: We confess it is all too easy for us to sacrifice convictions for convenience, standards for status, principles for promotion, absolutes for ambition. We are readily seduced by power and prestige, by pleasures and possessions. From what the world offers, we turn to You unfulfilled. Forgive our half-heartedness and our double-mindedness. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Renew and refresh us through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Loving God, you spoke the earth into motion. Your words have that much power. So instead of continuing to speak to you, we silence ourselves Please show us our sins and forgive us for them as we listen to your still small voice in this time of silence…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Eternal and Glorious God, You are merciful, kind, and forgiving. You hear us when we confess to You. We admit we do not focus on You with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. A day devoted to You is rarely attempted. We neglect to rest our hearts and minds in You, for we keep going in our power and never stop. We do not attend to Your Word, for we live by the words and idols of our age. We fail to worship with Your people, for we give priority to many other commitments. Forgive our sin, and help us to walk in Your ways to the honor of Your name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
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
Call to Confession
James 5:16 invites us to confess our sins so that we might be healed. Let us go before our Creator in humility and confession.
Prayer of Confession
Lord Almighty, we come to you in humility today. We have sought security in the wrong places. Rather than having the courage to confront our own sins, we often settle for false gods. We seek control and power, money and possessions, comfort and complacency. Call us to action, O God. Help us to see the error of our ways and give us the courage to do something about it as we confess our sins to you.
Austin D. Hill
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