A Prayer of Confession and Repentance - Your Daily Prayer - July 28
A Prayer of Confession and Repentance
By Jaime Hampton
Bible Reading:
“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” - Psalm 32:3-5 (NIV)
Listen or Read Below:
Has unconfessed sin ever weighed you down? In Psalm 32, David paints a bleak picture of what unconfessed sin can do to a person’s body, mind, and spirit. It weighs us down, drains our energy, and can render us useless to accomplish God’s purposes. The Bible is clear: regular confession is an integral part of the Christian life.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” According to James, there is a powerful, healing work done through confession that can’t be ignored. And he doesn’t stop at encouraging believers to confess their sins to God – he urges us to confess our sins to one another.
At first, confession can be difficult. When I first started making confession a regular part of my prayer life, it wasn’t always easy to come up with a list. This is why Psalm 139:23-24 is one of my favorite prayers to use to begin a time of confession and repentance, followed by a brief time of silent reflection:
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
This prayer invites the Holy Spirit to bring to mind thoughts, words, or actions that you might not otherwise have recognized. And trust me, once you make confession a regular part of your prayer life, it becomes easier and easier to recognize sin in your life. At first, it can feel like you’re going backward, but you’re not. You’re simply going through a refining process where God is precipitating out impurities, allowing them to float to the surface so they can be skimmed off.
The purpose of confession isn’t to make you feel guilty or condemned. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says that Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. Confession and repentance should be a time for celebrating the work Jesus did on the cross to give us freedom from the penalty of sin and death, not just in an eternal sense, but right here on earth!
Let’s Pray:
Lord, we praise you for your limitless love and abundant mercy. Thank you for the gift of salvation, for the ability to confess and repent of sin and leave it behind us so that we can run the race of faith with freedom and endurance. We confess that we have sinned in our thoughts, words, and actions. We pray for your Spirit to continue to shine light on any cracks, crevices and corners of our hearts to reveal anything that would separate us from you, and your absolute best for us. Give us the courage to confess our sins to other believers, robbing sin of the power of secrecy and isolation. Open our spiritual eyes to see sin for what it is: repulsive and devoid of life.
We confess that we have placed idols above you: things that bring us comfort, help us cope with the difficulties of life, or make us feel valuable or powerful. Please forgive us. You are the One True God, the only one worthy to be on the throne. We choose you, and pray for the ability to destroy any idol that would threaten your status as Lord. As your Spirit continues to bring sins to mind, we pray for the Godly sorrow that leads to repentance, life, and revival. Use us to bring glory to yourself, and to do the Kingdom work you’ve called us to. Amen.
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