Prayers of Confession on Pride

 

Adapted from 2 Chronicles 20

Pastor: O Lord, we are in over our heads. So many are the sins that we’ve committed this past week, and they condemn us in your presence. Only because you love us with a never-ending, unbreaking, always and forever love can we even pray for forgiveness. 

All: “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.” We’ve been selfish, we’ve been prideful, and we’ve not loved you and your law.

Pastor: Because of Adam’s sin, we are born with sinful hearts, sinful minds, and broken bodies. When we get up in the morning, when we go throughout our day, and when we lie down at night—our sin draws us away from the God who loves us. 

All: This morning, we ask for your forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Not only that, we ask for your help! Renew our desire to love and serve you, to trust in your grace, and to walk in obedience to your law.

Submitted by Dustin Ray

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Adapted from Psalm 10:1-7

Leader: Heavenly Father, I confess that I have sinned against you. I have delighted my soul in other things more than I have in you. Why, then, is it any surprise to me that you feel far off from me? I have driven you away!

All: In my arrogance, I have enjoyed the comforts of this world while I care too little that the poor cannot feed or care for themselves. Because of my greed, I boast of all that I have and all that I desire. 

Leader: In one moment, I believe that I’m invincible, able to withstand any problem or struggle. In the next moment, I believe that the evil all around me is out to get me. My mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under my tongue are mischief and iniquity.

All: O God, forgive me of my sin. Look on me with mercy, and give me grace to delight in you, rather than in my sin. Lift me out of this pit of sin, cleanse me of my unrighteousness, and fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I might walk in holiness and obey your commandments.

Submitted by Dustin Ray

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Adapted from The Valley of Vision

Pastor: Father in Heaven, I have sinned times without number. I am guilty of pride and unbelief. I’ve failed to delight my heart in your Word and have neglected you in my daily life.

All: My transgressions and sins accuse me! But I praise you because they will not condemn me; indeed, you have laid each and every one on Christ!

Pastor: Go on and subdue my corruptions and grant me grace to live above them. Let not the passions of the flesh nor the lustings of the mind bring my spirit into subjection, but rule over me in liberty and power.

All: Thank you for your compassion and love, for all the acts of discipline I experience, and for sometimes putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross.

Submitted by Dustin Ray

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Heavenly Father, we come before Your throne of grace to confess our sin. We have been selfish instead of generous; we have been proud instead of humble; we have held grudges instead of forgiving; we have proven over and over again that we cannot be good enough on our own. We need more of You, and less of ourselves. Gracious God, we ask for Your forgiveness and receive it with joyful hearts. Renew our minds so that we may discern what is good. Fill us with Your Spirit so that we may be Your witnesses in the world. Comfort our hearts, that we may know that we have complete redemption by Your grace alone. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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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

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Lord God, You are the Creator of the universe; You made us in Your image as Your partners. You know how the world truly works and, for the benefit of the whole creation, You have called us to a particular way of being in this world. In our arrogance, we think we know a better way. We despise the way to which You have called us and we take up our own desires and ideologies, imagining that we know better than You. Forgive us, Lord, for our backwards living. In Your loving-kindness, teach us that Your way is good. Change our hearts to desire what You desire and to seek what You seek. Lord, thank You for Your grace and Your mercy. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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Gracious God, we come to You confessing we have failed at many relationships. We have let our pride get in the way of asking for forgiveness. We have put our own interests ahead of our family and friends. We have failed to take responsibility when we have hurt others. We have tried to control broken relationships rather than trusting You to help us mend them. We confess, God, we have failed to live as people of grace, truth, and love. May we follow Your example by living at peace with one another, and loving others as You have loved us. In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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Gracious and loving God, we turn to You seeking Your mercy. You call us to focus on You, but we focus on ourselves instead. You call us to be humble, but we gloat in our pride. You call us to abandon ourselves, but we cling to our achievements. You invite us to decrease as You increase and to disappear as You become more visible. Forgive us for our boasting and bragging. Help us to pull focus from ourselves and to remember that our true worth comes from You and You alone. In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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O Lord, my every sense, member, faculty, affection, is a snare to me.

I can scarce open my eyes but I envy those above me,

or despise those below.

I covet the honor and riches of the mighty,

and am proud and unmerciful to the rags of others.

If I behold beauty it is a bait to lust,

or see deformity, it stirs up loathing and disdain;

How soon do slanders, vain jests, and wanton speeches creep into my heart!

Valley of the Vision

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Almighty God, we take pride in our self-sufficiency while we look down on the weak who cannot provide for themselves. We praise others for their efforts, yet we demand perfection from our own families. Gracious Father, forgive us of our pride and self-reliance as you increase our dependence on Jesus so we may live the life he calls us to.

Submitted by Laura Murray

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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

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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

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All-Knowing God, we often believe our way is the best way. In our arrogance, we ignore your will and your ways. We confess our dependence on knowledge and our independence from you. Thank you that you are always gracious, ready to receive us and that your forgiveness never fails.  We trust in your grace and commit to live in your grace so that others might know you.

Submitted by Laura Murray

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Loving Father, You receive all who come humbly before You. Yet we approach You far too often with much satisfaction and inappropriate pride. We think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We forget Your Son’s plain teaching: those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Forgive us and free us from this tyranny to self. Empower us to serve You joyfully and wholeheartedly. We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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Lord Jesus Christ, you gave up everything to come down from heaven in order to love and serve us.  Unlike you, we find self-sacrifice hard. Most of us look for ways to puff ourselves up, so that we look better in other people’s eyes.  We fool ourselves into thinking that we can make ourselves look good in your eyes, too. Send us your Spirit, that we would be more humble. We long to be like you, our loving shepherd, and we thank you for hearing our prayers as we continue to confess in silence…

Silent Prayer 

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Submitted by Chip Hardwick

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Almighty and gracious God, Your love is everlasting and filled with patience. In our sinfulness, we run away, yet You seek after us. We make foolish choices in spite of the fact that You teach us a better way. We hurt You and others, and, instead of hurting us back, You forgive us. Our pride often gets in the way of our efforts to reveal Your glory and goodness. We try to bear the imprint of Christ throughout the world, yet we often do just the opposite and fail to be the people You’ve called us to be in Your Word. Forgive the sin in our lives and grant us hearts to follow the example that You gave us in Your Son, Jesus. In His precious Name we pray. Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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Adapted from “Confession and Petition” in The Valley of Vision

Pastor: Holy Lord, I have sinned times without number and been guilty of pride and unbelief, failed to delight in your Word, neglected you in my daily life.

All: My transgressions and sins present me a list of accusations, but I praise you because they will not stand against me because they have been laid on Christ!

Pastor: Go on and subdue my corruptions and grant me grace to live above them. Let not the passions of the flesh nor the lustings of the mind bring my spirit into subjection, but rule over me in liberty and power.

All: Thank you for your wisdom and love, for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject, for sometimes putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross.

Submitted by Dustin Ray

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Eternal God,

in whom we live and move and have our being,

whose face is hidden from us by our sins,

and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts:

Cleanse us from all our offenses,

and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires,

that with reverent and humble hearts

we may draw near to you,

confessing our faults,

confiding in your grace,

and finding in you our refuge and strength;

through Jesus Christ your Son, Amen.

How great and glorious You are, O God. There is no one like You. You transform our weakness into strength. You forgive our stubbornness and arrogance, and fill us with Your generous wisdom. You turn our errors into stepping stones and our defeats into victories. You create beauty out of the ashes of our sinful nature. Forgive us, Lord, for being silent about Your goodness and for trusting the foolish wisdom of this world. Help us not to give up or give in to the temptations around us and to keep our eyes focused on Your loving grace. In Christ’s Name we pray. Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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Loving and Merciful God,

We come before you today aware of our own selfish pride. We have chosen our way above your way. We have chosen our opinions over the unity of your church. Forgive us where we have gone astray, help us to forgive those who have hurt us, but we also pray that we would be forgiven for the ways in which we have hurt others. We recognize that we see only in part. Give us new eyes to see your kingdom at work in the world.

Silent Prayer

Amen.

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We praise You for Your goodness and love. Forgive and correct the wrong we have done. We have turned from the way of Your Son Jesus, and we have not cared for our neighbors. We have permitted pride to blind and anger to burn. We have failed to live the new life You have given us. We come to You with little to offer except our sin, and we seek Your mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord. In His name we pray. Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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Most Merciful God, we join our voices in this prayer of confession because we realize that we are united with each other in our sinfulness. We all sin in ways that are unique to us as individuals. We say and do things that go against Your will for our lives. Forgive us for thinking we are better than others. Forgive us for considering others’ sins worse than our own. Forgive us for being so quick to recognize the sin in others, yet slow to see it in ourselves. Grant us the humility of spirit and the gladness of heart that comes from knowing that Jesus died to take away the sins of the world. Touch our lives with Your healing grace and create in us clean hearts. We pray these things in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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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

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Eternal God,

Your love for us is without end,

yet our love for you and for one another is weak,

often interrupted by self-centeredness … distrust … vindictiveness.

Whenever we come together to pray to you,

we have to acknowledge that much of our life

deserves your displeasure,

that our life together is too often disfigured by our pride and self-love.

Forgive us, we pray, and restore us to fellowship

with you and with one another.

For Jesus’ sake, amen.

Church of Scotland

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Dear Lord,