Confession Prayers
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
6 If we say we share in life with God and keep on living in the dark, we are lying and are not living by the truth. 7 But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away. 8 If we say we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn't in our hearts. 9 But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.
1 John 1:6-9
Memory Verse
Psalm 51:9-10
9 Wash me with hyssop until I am clean and whiter than snow. 10 Let me be happy and joyful! You crushed my bones, now let them celebrate.
Have you ever hidden from someone or something? Hide-and-go-seek can be fun, but sometimes, we hide because we’re afraid. In our prayers, God does not want us to hide from him. He wants us to seek him by confessing our sins to him when we pray.
The Bible tells us about King David who loved God, but he sinned. His sin dishonored God and hurt others. To make things worse, David tried to cover it up. But God knows everything, and David could not hide from God. When the prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin, David prayed and told God what he had done. He confessed that he had sinned and disobeyed God. He told God that he needed forgiveness.
Romans 3:23 tells us that we all “have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” Our sin separates us from God. But even though we have sinned, there is good news! The next verse in Romans says that “God treats us much better than we deserve and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” You see, Jesus took the punishment for our sins. We don’t have to hide because Jesus paid the price for our sins. Like David, we can be honest with God and confess our sins when we pray, and he will gladly forgive us.
Prayer
Dear God, you are so loving and perfect. I confess that I have turned away from you and sinned. Please forgive me for my sins and help me to seek and follow you. Amen.Related Resources
Areo Keller-Donahue
As soon as Areo could pick up a popsicle stick, she was making puppets and putting on plays that shared her faith with her neighbors. Areo grew up with a strong interest in musical theatre and earned her BFA at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Areo was led to use artistic gifts to share the gospel with young ones, and she became involved in ministry. She has worked in children's ministry at Redeemer Upper West Side and North Way Christian Community and is currently developing a musical live-action series that celebrates faith and fun. Areo and her husband live in Pittsburgh, where they enjoy spending time with their families and adorable cat, Daisy.