Becoming Like Jesus: PrayerSample

Called to Confess

This week, we are focusing on prayers of confession. Confession is the practice of bringing our sins and secrets into the light. And the beautiful thing is that attached to this practice is a promise: when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just. He forgives us and makes us clean.

Like all the other types of prayer we have looked at so far, confession was never meant to be a one and done deal. Jesus invites us to seek forgiveness and be honest about the hurts we have experienced continually. We can come again and again before our heavenly Father, the true king of the universe, seated on a throne of grace.

Let’s seek Him now.

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy and grace. Jesus, thank you for bringing the grace of God to us through your life, death, and resurrection. Thank you for forgiving me and saving me. Holy Spirit, please make me into the kind of person who is quick to offer the forgiveness I have received to the people around me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13 NLT

Consider…

Confession is not just this thing we do when we decide to say yes to a relationship with Jesus. It can start there, but it’s not meant to stop there. Jesus calls us to make confession a way of life. He invites us to expose the deepest, darkest parts of us and bring them into the light.

Confession is kind of like cleaning a wound. You have to expose it to an agent, like rubbing alcohol, that has the power to clean the wound and kill the infection. It might sting, but it leads to real healing. And that’s what happens when we practice confession. We expose the infection of sin to the Agent that has the power to cleanse and heal us—Jesus and His grace.

As we engage in this practice regularly, it becomes the posture of our hearts. With practice, we become quicker to bring things to the light. And we become quicker to show grace to others, because we know how much grace God has given us.

What comes to mind when you think of confession? What has held you back from bringing things into the light in the past?

Practice…

What sin do you need to bring to God and ask forgiveness for today? Who do you need to forgive?

As you pray today, ask God these questions and respond in obedience. Run to God. He is ready to meet you with the grace and mercy you need.

Listen…

Create space to experience God’s presence by getting quiet, getting alone, and asking Him to speak. Start by setting a timer for five minutes.

Next, ask God to speak to you.

When you get distracted, because you will get distracted, bring your focus back to God by repeating the first words of the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father…”

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you got to spend with Him, then head into your day looking for opportunities to better serve Him and serve others.