Prayer of confession and repentance
By Jaime Hampton
Bible Reading:
“When I was silent, my bones were wasted with moans all day. Your hands were heavy on me day and night. My strength was sunk like the heat of summer. Then I admitted to you my sin, and did not hide my iniquity. And you forgive me for the guilt of my sin.” – Psalm 32:3-5 (NIV)
Listen or read:
Has innocent sin ever put a pressure on you? In poem sal32, David draws a dark picture of what cannot be done in a person’s body, mind, and spirit. It can put us in pressure, drain our energy, and render us useless in achieving God’s purpose. The Bible is clear. Regular confessions are an integral part of Christian life.
James 5:16 states, “Therefore, we confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” According to James, there is a powerful and healing work done through confessions that cannot be ignored. And he cannot stop encouraging his followers to confess his sins to God. He urges us to confess our sins to one another.
At first, confessing can be difficult. When I first started making confessions a regular part of my prayer life, it wasn’t always easy to come up with a list. This is one of my favorite prayers that Psalm 139:23-24 uses to start an era of confession and repentance, and why the short period of silent reflection followed.
Know God, God, and my heart. Test me and know my uneasy thoughts. Please see if there is an offensive way within me and guide me forever.
This prayer invites the Holy Spirit to remind you of thoughts, words, or actions you may not have recognized otherwise. And trust me, when you confess to the regular part of your prayer life, it will be easier to recognize the sins of your life. At first, you can feel like you’re backing down, but not. You are simply going through the purification process that God is causing impurities, so that they can float on the surface, allowing them to drop roughly.
The purpose of confession is not to make you feel guilty or blame. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says that respectful sorrow leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death and brings repentance. Confession and repentance should be time to celebrate the work Jesus did on the cross. Give us freedom not only in the eternal sense, but here from the punishment of sin and death!
Let’s pray:
Lord, we praise your infinite love and rich mercy. Thank you for the gift of salvation. We can confess our sin and repent, and place it behind us, and run the tribe of faith with freedom and perseverance. We confess that we have sinned for our thoughts, words and actions. We pray that your spirit will continue to shine light in the cracks, gaps and corners of our hearts. Give us the courage to confess our sins to other believers, and take away the sins of the power of secrets and isolation. Open our spiritual eyes and see the sin about what it is: repulsive and lifeless.
We confess that we have placed an idol on you: something that brings comfort to us, helps us to deal with the difficulties of life, or makes us feel worthy or powerful. please forgive me. You are the only true God and the only God worthy of being on the throne. We choose you and pray for your ability to destroy idols who threaten your position as Lord. As your spirit continues to remind us of sin, we pray for respectful sorrow that leads to repent, life, and resurrection. To use us to bring glory to ourselves and to do the work of the kingdom that you have called us. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©gettyimages/urbazon
Jaime Hampton is Christian author and co-host of the Christian Women’s Podcast of Prayer with Alana Terry. She camps with her family, drinks coffee, drinks coffee, and enjoys the crazy life that comes with being a hockey mom. You can find encouragement in a prayer life at PrayingchristianWomen.com or @prayingchristianwomen on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
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