Bible Prayers: confession

Showing posts with label confession. Show all posts

March 19, 2021

Confessing with Jeremiah

Living in troubled times, the Prophet Jeremiah drew close enough to hear God’s word, and we can do this too! As Lent reminds us, we prepare for Easter by confessing and turning away (repenting) from whatever obstacles stand between us and the Lord.

May God Himself put on our minds and hearts any fear, anger, bigotry, violence, idolatry, complacency, or other sin we need to release into His forgiveness. Freed of these dark stains, we’re ready to receive the light and living water of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 14:20-22 – a prayer of Jeremiah
from the King James Version of the Bible

We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness,
and the iniquity of our fathers:
for we have sinned against thee.

Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake,
do not disgrace the throne of thy glory:
remember, break not thy covenant with us.

Are there any among the vanities
of the Gentiles that can cause rain?
or can the heavens give showers?
art not thou he, O Lord our God?

therefore we will wait upon thee:
for thou hast made all these things.

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Jeremiah 14:20-22 – a prayer of Jeremiah
paraphrased into contemporary English

We confess!

We’ve acted badly, Lord,
and so have our ancestors.

Our whole family has sinned against You,
and yet, surely
Your character will not allow You
to abandon us, Lord,
nor disgrace Your glorious throne.

Please remember Your promises to us
for we rely on You.

What worthless foreign god could
send us rain?

The sky needs You
to do such things, O Lord our God.
And so
we wait for You to help.

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

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January 29, 2021

Job prays through to God

For many days, Job sat in shock, pain, and anger, looking for answers while listening to friends who didn’t believe in his innocence nor get why he kept questioning God. Although the Lord did not directly answer Job’s questions, His very presence quieted Job’s need to know.

Job 42:1-6 – a prayer of Job
from the King James Version of the Bible

Then Job answered the Lord, and said,

I know that thou canst do every thing,

and that no thought can be

withholden from thee.

Who is he that hideth counsel

without knowledge? therefore

have I uttered that I understood not;

things too wonderful for me,

which I knew not.

Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak:

I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear:

but now mine eye seeth thee.

Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Job 42:1-6 – a prayer of Job
in contemporary English

Lord, I know You can do anything!

No plan of Yours can be thwarted.

You asked why my ignorance hides

me from seeing Your view.

All I can say is, I didn’t understand

things too wonderful to know.

You told me to listen,

and You would speak.

You told me to answer Your questions

as I wanted You to answer mine!

I’ve heard a lot about You, Lord,

but now I’ve seen You for myself.

And so I take back my words

that questioned You, and I

repent in dust and ashes.

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

April 1, 2020

Praying for pardon

We’ve heard about the “sins of the fathers” being “revisited upon the children,” but God said – whether child or parent – each of us carries responsibility for own actions. That’s true, of course, since God said so! But it primarily refers to punishment such as fines or jail time.

Bad decisions and unhealthy lifestyles today can, and most likely will, affect even a great-grandchild. For example, they might eat the nutrition-less foods they had growing up. Or they might do drugs because their grandmother did. They might not be taught social skills or the godly standards expressed in God’s word.

As one generation passes poor choices onto another generation who doesn’t know they even have choices, the chain continues – unless we seek God’s power in our lives and those of our ancestors and offspring for generations gone and to come.

That’s what Moses did. As the mediator between God and God’s people who had been enslaved for hundreds of years, Moses pleaded for this visitation of sin to cease.

Numbers 14:17-19 – a prayer of Moses

And now, I beseech thee,

let the power of my lord be great,

according as thou hast spoken, saying,

The Lord is longsuffering,

and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity

and transgression, and by no means

clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity

of the fathers upon the children

unto the third and fourth generation.

Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity

of this people according unto the greatness

of thy mercy, and as thou hast

forgiven this people, from Egypt

even until now.

Numbers 14:17-19 – a prayer of Moses

Lord, I need evidence of Your power!

You said You’re slow to anger

and filled with unfailing love,

forgiving all sorts of sin and rebellion,

yet not excusing the guilty.

Indeed, when parents sin, their choices

and actions affect other people–

even a great-great-grandchild!

But please pardon us, Lord!

Please keep on parenting us

with Your glorious love.

May God forgive us our sins and break any chains of bad inheritance, traumas suffered, or “bad blood” between us and others affecting us, our families, and our countries in Jesus’ Name.

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January 2, 2020

Jacob prays for deliverance

Trickery and an aptitude for manipulating people marked Jacob’s early years, but after being treated that way for a long time by his father-in-law, this son of Isaac headed home with a new attitude.

The problem was, Jacob didn’t know what his twin brother Esau, whom he’d tricked more than once, might do! However, Jacob did know God had blessed him. Humbling himself before the Lord, he asked for protection and deliverance in this prayer.

Genesis 32:10-11 – a prayer of Jacob

I am not worthy

of the least of all the mercies,

and of all the truth,

which thou hast shewed

unto thy servant;

for with my staff

I passed over this Jordan;

and now I am become two bands.

Deliver me, I pray thee,

from the hand of my brother,

from the hand of Esau:

for I fear him, lest he will come

and smite me, and the mother with the children.

Genesis 32:10-11 – a paraphrased prayer of Jacob

Lord, I am not worthy

of all the loving kindness

and faithfulness

You have shown me,

for I began with nothing

and now have far more

than I could ever need.

But, Lord, I’m alarmed

by those I fear might

harm me and my family.

Please deliver us, I pray.

May God help us to let go of the past as we humble ourselves before Him and begin the New Year in prayer, praise, and appreciation.

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March 2, 2015

Praying in confession

Daniel 9:4-10

Praying to the LORD, I confessed:

O Lord, great God of Whom I am in awe,
You keep Your promises
and show mercy to those who love and obey You,
but we have sinned!
We’ve done wrong!
We have turned away from You
and what You told us is right and true.

We have not listened
to Your servants or the word You gave
to our leaders, our ancestors,
and the people of our land.

To You belongs righteousness, O LORD,
but to us belongs shame.

We, Your people near and far –
in all the lands to which You dispersed us
because of our disloyalty to You –
own our own shame.

We, the people and our leaders,
have not followed You nor obeyed You,
but even though we have rebelled
against You, O LORD God,
to You belong
mercy,
compassion,
and forgiveness.

© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Daniel 9 from some of the many translations of Holy Scripture found on Bible Gateway.

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