Prayers of Confession on Weakness
Adapted from Psalm 130:3-6, NIV
If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Almighty God, our Redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be your messengers of forgiveness and hope. Renew us by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow your commands and proclaim your reign of love, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Inspired by Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
As we gather on your good earth,
before the bounty of your Word and Table,
and the majesty of your holy presence,
We remember and repent
Forgive us, Abiding One,
We keep you at a distance
We defy your bidding
We make it harder for people to know you
Forgive us, Saving One,
We deny our weakness
We wallow in our weakness
We take advantage of the weakness of others
Forgive us, Holy One,
We refuse your counsel
We waste your gifts
We withhold your compassion from others
Break through
Break through our hardened views,
lest the evil one win the day
Break through our gravelly hearts
lest we have no root and wither to nothing
Break through our thorny ways
lest our agendas and fears
choke the promise of your word
and smother a harvest worthy of your Name
Silent Confession
Prayer of Confession based on the parable of the sower © 2016 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
Merciful God, we remember that Your Son was tempted in the desert as we are, and yet He won the victory over sin. And now, because of His victory, we have hope that we too can be victorious over the temptations we face in life. There are times when we feel weak, and we do things that we should not have done, and there are times when we leave undone many things we should have done. We have failed to love You with our whole heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We try to make excuses for our actions, but there is no excuse for giving in to temptation. Lord, grant us the strength and courage we need to overcome our weaknesses so that one day we can stand before You and hear You say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” We ask these things in the Name of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Merciful God, we remember that Your Son was tempted in the desert as we are, and yet He won the victory over sin. And now, because of His victory, we have hope that we too can be victorious over the temptations we face in life. There are times when we feel weak, and we do things that we should not have done, and there are times when we leave undone many things we should have done. We have failed to love You with our whole heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We try to make excuses for our actions, but there is no excuse for giving in to temptation.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord, grant us the strength and courage we need to overcome our weaknesses so that one day we can stand before You and hear You say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
We ask these things in the Name of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Dear Lord, we rejoice that in You we find our hope. We have tried and failed to manage our lives. We have tried to guard what we say and don’t say. We have tried to serve selflessly. We have tried to contain our appetites and desires. We have tried not to judge or condemn. We have tried to control our thoughts. The harder we try, the more obvious it becomes we cannot attain perfection. We confess our brokenness and weakness to You. We humbly thank You for forgiving our sins and washing us clean through the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
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
Holy God, we confess that we feel like we are incapable of doing what you ask of us. In our hesitation and doubt, we confess that we do not do what you ask of us. Forgive us for our fear. Forgive us for failing to see that you are with us. Forgive us for staying put instead of moving with you.
Cody Sandahl
O Lord, we are too easily discouraged when things don’t go our way, when we face trials, testings, and even persecution. Lord forgive the weakness of our faith. We too often respond in anger and hurtful words. Forgive our put-downs and cutting remarks. We take pride in looking religious and pious while often ignoring the physical and emotional needs of people around us. Father, forgive our lack of putting our faith into action. Teach us to be like Christ.
Amen.
Bud Thoreen
Looking for More Liturgical Elements?
Check out our Calls to Worship on Weakness.