Prayers of Confession on Rest

Gracious and Holy God, we make no pretense about our lives. We forget, even deny that we were created with wonder and delight in our souls. Yet, we go through life anxious and serious, seeking to get ahead, striving to make ends meet. We rush and hurry, and fill up our calendars. Where is the joy? Where are the days of summer rest? Where is our sense of delight? Forgive us, Lord, for failing to be the people that You created us to be and remind us that, like Nicodemus, we are loved for who we are, just as we are. Help us to remember that, in Christ, we are forgiven. Grant us Your peace as we look to You for the strength and courage to resist further temptation. We lift our prayer in the Name of Your Precious Son, Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

Gracious God, today we begin to pay attention to the fact that you rested on the seventh day. Somehow, you finished your work by resting. This seems odd to us, even contrary to how we think about work. Teach us, Lord, to think of work and rest as you do. Help us to model our own lives after you, so that we might live fully and fruitfully. Amen.

Taken from Mark D. Roberts, Life for Leaders, a Devotional Resource of the DePree Leadership Center at Fuller Theological Seminary

Gracious God, in six days you created all things. On the seventh day you finished your work by resting. You also blessed and hallowed the seventh day, setting it aside as a day of rest. Teach me, Lord, what this means for me. May my life not primarily be formed by the demands of my work, the expectations of my culture, or the urgings of my feelings. Rather, may my life be formed by you, by your example, by your truth. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. Amen.

Taken from Mark D. Roberts, Life for Leaders, a Devotional Resource of the DePree Leadership Center at Fuller Theological Seminary