From Handbook to Prayer
Confession
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger
Or chasten me in Your wrath.
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in distress.
My soul also is greatly troubled;
But You, O Lord, how long? (Psalm 6:1–3)
Woe to me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 6:5)
There is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good
And never sins. (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
Truly I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. (Joshua 7:20)
If I claim to be without sin, I deceive myself, and the truth is not in me. If I confess my sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive me my sins and purify me from all unrighteousness. If I claim I have not sinned, I make Him a liar and His word is not in me. (1 John 1:8–10)
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.
I will sing praises to the Lord
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger lasts only a moment,
But His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:4–5)
