Prayers of Confession on Trust
Adapted from on Psalm 14
Pastor: Oh God, in my foolishness, I have denied that you are my God, my Lord, and my Father. Because of my abominable deeds and corrupt nature, I can do no good without you.
All: You dwell in Heaven and see all things and all people. You look down on my life and find my faith lacking, my understanding wanting, and my heart corrupt.
Pastor: I, my family, and my fellow believers have done evil in your sight, and we’ve turned aside from trusting and obeying you. However, despite my sinful rebellion, you call me back to you!
All: Because your Son, Jesus, died on the cross for my sins, you have given even me your salvation! Restore my delight in you, and craft me into the image of your Son by the power of your Holy Spirit.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from Psalm 22
Our God, our God
Have you really forsaken us?
Why are you so far away from where we need you?
Why do you not pay attention to what seems to us
So alarming?
Why are you so otherworldly?
Day and night we have cried to you,
And you do not seem to answer.
O God, Holy God,
You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
They trusted and you delivered them.
You are a trustworthy God,
And when we have trusted in you
We have not been disappointed.
O God, trustworthy God,
That is our problem!
We do not always trust you.
We are always afraid that if we follow your ways
We will miss something.
Yet you are holy, and wholly trustworthy.
It is you who brought us from our mother’s wombs.
It is you who kept us safely on her breasts.
O God, our God,
Grant us faith-faith to trust you,
Faith to follow your ways.
Grant us faith in Christ,
For it is in Him and through Him
That we make our prayer to you.
Glory be to you, O God, our God. Amen.
Hughes Oliphant Old. Leading in Prayer: A Workbook for Ministers (Kindle Location 966). Kindle Edition.
Heavenly Father, you have claimed us as your own children. That claim last through our entire lives and even beyond. Like children, though, we don’t always listen to you. We think we know what’s best for ourselves. Lord, please help us to believe in you, to trust your plans as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Lord, through history Your people have refused Your plans in exchange for self-indulgence. Adam and Eve sought to define good and evil for themselves. The Israelites demanded water in the desert. David took Bathsheba and killed her husband. Today, we are no different. We exchange intimacy for fantasy. We horde wealth rather than trust in Your provision. We confuse self-help for discipleship. Lord, You declare, “My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Forgive us for trusting more in ourselves and our desires than trusting in You and Your plans. We are sorry. Change our hearts. 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
Lord, you abundant love knows no end. Too often we don’t trust you. We look to other places in our lives to fill us. We fail to recognize your glory and provision in our midst. Lord, as your reveal your glory to us through these signs laid out in your word, please help us to see you. Please forgive us for the times when we don’t look to you as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Holy and righteous God, humbly we come to You asking for Your forgiveness. Too often, we find ourselves chasing after frivolous things, worrying about tomorrow, and acting as if the promises within Your Word aren’t true. We place our trust in what we can touch and see, even though we know those things will not last. Give us faith and courage to put our hope and trust in You. You alone are God, and You provide us with everything we could ever need. Be glorified in our lives, we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord of all, the only thing that truly matters is staying connected to you. As we remain in you, you give us life. We are sorry, Lord, for squandering the gift of incredible love that you have given us. We are sorry for placing our trust in ourselves, our assets, our talents, and anything else that prevents us from trusting in you. Please renew our sense of hope that you alone can give as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Merciful God,
We come before you with thankful hearts. Thankful for the many gifts you have given us. You have clothed us and given us shelter. You have given us food to fill our stomachs, friendship to fill our hearts. And yet, if we are honest with you, we know that we fail to follow you in life-giving ways. Instead of trusting in your power, we trust in our own strength. Instead of trusting in your provision, we rely on our own ability to provide. And when it comes to your community, your church, we only commit so much. We are, like the Corinthians, unable to give up our rights for the sake of others. We care too highly for our own ways, our own thoughts, our own perspectives, and not nearly enough on your Word and your influence on our lives. Grant us O lord, a contrite spirit, that we may turn to you, that our community might resemble your kingdom more fully,
Amen.
Stuart Strachan Jr.
Dear Lord, we praise You and thank You for Your goodness and grace for creating us and putting us in the world; Truly, You have supplied us with all we need and more in order to live the abundant life with You. Our cup overflows. Nevertheless, we confess we do not live as redeemed sinners. We still hesitate to trust in Your loving plan for our lives. Our overwhelming concern revolves around our own needs rather than those of others. We say we love You with our lips when our hearts are often far from You. We humbly ask for Your forgiveness. Help us to turn toward You and receive Your pardon, Your strength, and Your hope. This we receive with great gratitude. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious, patient God, too often we don’t trust you. We don’t trust you enough to be honest with you, to share our doubts with you, or to be real with other people about our struggles. Lord, please help us to be more honest with you and with others as we confess our weaknesses, fears, and doubts to you now in silence of our hearts…
Austin D. Hill
King Jesus, We confess that we are quick to put our hope in places other than You. We are often more driven by our fears than by our faith in You and Your Kingdom. We place our trust in health, jobs, money, and perceived safety rather than in You. Forgive us for seeking power when we should be modeling the gentle humility of Jesus. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Almighty God, we have failed to trust you.
Overwhelmed by the pains of life, we have taken charge and pushed you aside.
O God, be gracious to us. Remind us of your daily mercies and redemptive power that we might trust you in every part of our lives.
Submitted by Laura Murray
O God, you make covenants with your people, and you keep them from generation to generation. We receive this grace from you, but we are slow to extend it to others. We break our word; we bargain to get ourselves the best terms; and we find ourselves using deceit and treachery to get our way. All too often, we can’t be trusted. Thank you for never giving up on us, despite all the ways that we fall short. Make us keepers of our word. Equip us to say what we do, and to do what we say. Pardon us for our sins—these and all others—as we continue to confess in silence…
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Almighty God, there is no one else like You. You are always true, as are your promises. You listen to us patiently with the compassion of a good Father. You also answer us with perfect wisdom. You brought us eternal salvation when no one else could. We confess that we sometimes neglect prayer and time with You. We also admit that we fail to follow through Your commandments. Yet, You call us to repentance and in You we find the abundance of life. Forgive us, Lord, for our failures and our lack of trust, and grant us the precious gift of Your loving grace. In the name of Jesus, our Savior we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Faithful God, we confess that we have trusted our own plans instead of Yours. We have built and saved and schemed to secure our future, but we haven’t placed our trust in You. We know that Jesus told us to store up treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy, yet we have stored up treasures on earth in the meantime. Forgive us for trusting our own hands too much, and trusting Your hands too little. Amen.
Cody Sandahl
Prayer of Confession for All Saints Day
Run beloved, run
Lay aside every weight
Every worry
Every excuse
Every inner critic shouting against inspiration
Lay aside the sin that clings so closely
Every self-serving motivation
Every self-medicating choice
Every weak thing you’ve trusted more than God
Lay them aside
and run
Run beloved, run
Run with perseverance the race
Looking not to the dust, but to Jesus
The Pioneer and Perfecter of your faith
Look not to the right or to the left
Look to Jesus
Focus
Follow
The congregation is invited to offer their own prayers of confession
Run
Run remembering
You are forgiven
Joy is your strength
Run remembering
Him who endured
So that you may not grow weary
Or lose heart
For your strongest step is yet to come
Prayer of Confession for All Saints Day © 2022 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
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Check out our Calls to Worship on Trust.