Gracious and Redeeming Lord,
We give you thanks that you are filled with compassion and mercy. Were you one who takes account of sin we would perish indeed. But we know that through our Savior Jesus Christ, all our sins have been washed away. Though we mourn the fact that he suffered and was crucified, we thank you that his blood was shed for our sake. We regret that he had to take our nature in order to take our punishment. But we rejoice in the love it does display.
Because your kindness is so immense and vast, we come to you this morning confessing our sin. How crude it is for us to disregard the sacrifice of our dear Savior. How incredibly wicked it is for us to go on sinning, even after having been pardoned for so much. Were someone to come to one of us and to beg for forgiveness, and then run out and commit the same act again, we would be infuriated. We would hardly show any mercy.
But you have shown yourself to be full of mercy and abounding in steadfast love. You are patient and you lovingly bear with our weakness.
Lord, we do pray that you would forgive us for our repeated sin—the sins that we have struggled with for so long. Forgive us for falling into them time and again, and forgive us for not fighting diligently against them. Many times we have been lazy. We have not set up guards to protect ourselves. We have sought to walk according to the Spirit. We have not been diligent to pray over our weaknesses. We have time and again given ourselves over to temptation and sought to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Forgive us for this folly. And give us a heart that is steadfast. Fill us with your Spirit and lead us not into temptation. We know how weak we are. We know how much we yearn for sin. This is why we petition you—asking that you may free us from our own lusts.
Lord we pray that the means of grace may be effectual in drawing us away from our iniquity. We pray that our hearts might be filled with a new love—a love for obedience. We pray that your Word may stimulate within us a longing for what is holy and good. Our prayer is that you may prune this tree. Lop off anything that is vile. And may it be that we no more be like the pig that returns to the mud. May we no more return to our besetting sins. May we be no more plagued with these acts that we have committed time and again. May we be cleansed once and for all from their presence.
For this we ask in Jesus name.
