From Handbook to Prayer
Confession
You were pierced for our transgressions,
You were crushed for our iniquities;
The punishment that brought us peace was upon You,
And by Your wounds we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way,
And the Lord has laid on You the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5–6)
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
With fasting and weeping and mourning.
So rend your heart and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness,
And He relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:12–13)
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
Lord, I have heard of Your fame, and I stand in awe of Your deeds.
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years,
In our time make them known;
In wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2)
Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.
Thank You, Lord, that You have said:
For a brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will gather you.
In a flood of anger I hid My face from you for a moment,
But I will have compassion on you with everlasting kindness. (Isaiah 54:7–8)
