God, you are good. Your love cannot fail and your compassion never runs out.
You are holy and righteous and perfect.
Because You are so good, it feels like I shouldn’t be able to talk to You so freely. But because You are so good, I also feel that I can, and I must.
O God, have mercy on me.
It is against You and You alone that I’ve sinned. I’ve been sinful my whole life, and I can’t seem to make much progress without falling short again.
For all the wrong things I’ve done, and all the right things I’ve left undone. Forgive me. The ways I’ve wandered from your way, the times I’ve tested my own version of truth, and the life I’ve spent worshipping what I loathe.
You know every heart-breaking detail.
This is why we come to You. Because without you there is no hope.
Our hearts are so messy – cluttered with fear-based restraints, filled with a fog of selfish desires, and oh, Dear Lord, the noise: all that sinful chatter that stirs up strife and puffs up pride. This internal chaos leads nowhere but to more sin and death.
We acknowledge our sin, God.
We ask you to forgive us.
Please clean our hearts up, straighten things out, and refresh us for good. Renew Your spirit in each of us right here in this moment. Restore the joy of our salvation.
Give us courage to repeat these rhythms of repentance so that You might teach us wisdom in the secret spaces of our souls. May the joy of knowing You and the peace of being known by You permeate our thoughts and words and actions.
You are so good. We don’t deserve Your mercy; we could never earn it; and yet, You are good to all of us.
Hear our confession, Lord.
May You be glorified.
*Inspired by Psalm 51*
