Father, my heart rejoices in the blessings that are mine
Because of the finished work of Jesus.
I thank you that you are indeed slow to anger
That your name is great and your heart is kind.
And yet I confess today that I don’t always believe in that goodness.
I look at my life and see failures that weigh me down.
I see obstacles that keep me from the good life I long for.
And it leads me to be grumpy, frustrated and dissatisfied.
Though you promise to work everything in my life for good
I want to be the one who decides what that good is.
And I don’t have the patience to wait for your provision.
If I'm honest, I want my hopes and dreams today.
Father, forgive me for believing that my limited sight
Is better than your sovereign goodness.
Forgive me for trusting my own judgment
More than your wise, loving plans.
And grant that my heart might die more and more
To the lies of my own supposed wisdom
And that I might learn more and more
To rest in the perfect plan you are working
To make me more and more like my brother, Jesus.
Lord, take my feeble dreams and impotent plans
As you lead my heart to rest in your goodness…
Father, you have made the world and everything in it.
Because it comes from your hand
Everything I see and taste and touch Is beautiful.
And yet I find it so easy to assume
That this world and everything in it
Revolves around me and my dreams.
I grow impatient with people who get in my way.
I become frustrated when things don’t go my way.
I’m often grumpy when people challenge me.
And I never like to be proved wrong.
Father, teach me that the problems of this world,
And all the struggles of my heart
Come from trying to center your world around me.
And lead me see how much sweeter life can be
How much greater my joy can be
When I center my life back around you, my Maker
Father, for the ways I’ve tried to turn the Day of the Lord
Into the day of me, I now confess and give back to you...
Father, there’s no doubt in my mind
That you, and you alone Are worthy of all praise.
And my heart rejoices in that today!
But I also know the many times
My heart has doubted that – even this week!
I have seen a heart that often wonders
Whether I’ve sacrificed for nothing?
Especially when I see people who aren’t living right.
And yet they’re flourishing – they’re getting ahead!
And I see the sacrifices I’ve made
While it feels like I’m often falling behind.
Father, why does it sometimes feel like
I see so little reward for so much effort?
Why does it feel like I get punished
Rather than rewarded
When I live right – do right – act right?
Father, help me to see once again
That your love for me flows from what Jesus did
Not from what I do.
Remind me that you don’t reward me for living right
Or punish me for messing up.
But you love me because of Jesus and Jesus alone!
Lord, I give these foolish frustrations to you
As I confess once again a heart of unbelief...
Child, my lovingkindness and mercy toward you are great!
If I made you pay for your foolish unbelief
You would have no hope.
But I placed that punishment upon my own Son, Jesus!
And he took it for you.
Therefore, you can turn to me today
And find the grace you need.
You may feel lonely and afflicted.
Your life may have many troubles.
The anguish of your heart may have you overwhelmed.
But I will look upon your affliction and distress,
I will hear from heaven
And I will take away all your sins.
Today, I take away their guilt and shame.
And one day, I will take them fully away forevermore!
You don’t need to fear or cower in shame, my child.
You are loved! You are forgiven! You are my treasured possession.
And my lovingkindness will never run out.
Father, I rejoice once again
To be reminded that you and you alone
Are the only Anchor for my soul.
And I need to be reminded of that
Because my heart often drifts
From the promises of your Word.
My heart is attracted
To the many beautiful things
This world has to offer.
And what starts out as an attraction
Quickly becomes an obsession.
I have prayers that I want to see answered.
I have dreams that I wish to become reality.
I have deep pains
That I’m longing for you to take away.
Father, help me to see that
You are more than a genie who grants my wishes.
But you are the anchor for my very soul.
Without you, I am tethered to nothing,
And my life will drift into empty meaninglessness.
Bind my heart once again to the truth of your Word
That I might find the joy and stability
That all the chasing after the wind
Has never been able to fulfill.
Lord, I now bring those empty pursuits to you
I offer them as genuine desires
But I recognize that...
“Hey, I’m just a kid, what do I know?”
Give me what is best.
Grant me what I WOULD ask for
If I could see and know everything you do.
Child, if your forgiveness today rested on your faith
You would fall short.
If it rested on your serious commitment to me
You would be found lacking.
But the good news is that your forgiveness today
Rests on the perfect, finished work of my Son, Jesus.
He perfectly lived the life you should have lived.
And he died the death your rebellion deserved.
And as a result, your debt is paid in full!
You are more than just forgiven,
But Jesus has given his perfect record to you.
And this means you are as righteous
And as holy as Jesus himself!
What fears of failure, then, could ever hold you in their grips?
What foolish choices or selfish deeds
Could ever stand and condemn you?
Right at this very moment
Jesus, your Brother
Is sitting at my right hand
Interceding for you.
And his blood pleads once again
That you be forgiven,
That you be pronounced holy
And that you be accepted as my beloved, adopted child.
So stand now with confidence
And celebrate my unending love for you!
Father, you may be a sure and steady anchor in the storms of life
But if I’m honest, it doesn’t always feel that way.
There are days when it feels like the storms will overwhelm me
And I’m easily swamped by what life is throwing at me.
And I confess that those are times when I doubt your goodness.
Sometimes I’m angry and bitter that you would allow such things.
Other days I just tell myself that you don’t really love me.
Or maybe that there’s just something wrong with me.
Father, forgive me for confusing my own anchor points
For the Anchor of Jesus.
Forgive me for creating my own definitions of security
And demanding that you prove your love
By giving me what I want.
And grant me the eyes to see your goodness
Even in the hard times.
Help me to believe – and start with the assumption
That you are good – and are working what is best for me.
Even when I can’t see it
Father, help me now to lay at your feet
The hard times I’ve faced this week
As I ask you to continue to do whatever it takes
To make me more like Jesus.
Father, I celebrate the beautiful name of Jesus
Because by your love and sacrifice
I have been forgiven for my many sins.
But even as I rejoice in that forgiveness
I must confess how little I truly believe it
Because of how prone my heart is
To turn to other things to cover me.
I say I need Jesus
But my heart often turns to guarding my reputation.
I say that Jesus is enough
And yet my fears and inadequacies
Continue to drive me to more tangible sources of validation.
Father, forgive me for believing
That your covering is simply not enough.
Forgive me for believing
That I need to supplement the finished work of Jesus
By finding other things that tell me I’m good and worthy.
And help me to believe that when you said,
“It is finished” - that you meant it.
And that I can rest today in the only “well done”
That can ever quiet my noisy conscience.
For the many ways I’ve proven how little I actually believe that
I now bring and confess to you...
Child, I see your righteous deeds, but that can’t save you.
I see your reputation and integrity,
But it’s just not enough to clothe you in moral beauty.
I also see the many petty things you turn to...
Your achievements, your parenting, your toys.
But none of them can turn and declare you righteous.
But I can. And I have.
I have sent my Son to live and die in your place.
I have placed your sins upon Jesus, so they’re paid in full.
And I have placed the perfections of Jesus upon you
And declared you righteous, holy, and beautiful in my sight.
I have washed your dirty robes in the blood of the Lamb.
And you are now washed clean, whiter than snow.
I have covered you with the robes of Jesus’ righteousness
And only see his beauty when I look upon you.
Nothing, but the blood of your brother Jesus,
Could ever make you this clean.
Rejoice and celebrate the "well done”
That is yours today because of his precious love for you!
Father, you are holy
And you alone are worthy of all praise.
But if I’m really being honest,
I have to admit that I rarely trust you.
At least not fully.
Your Word gives me instruction
And I often treat it as advice.
Your Word tells me how to live.
And I’m crafty in finding ways
That it doesn’t really apply to me.
I know my heart well enough to say
That if I really trusted you
I would obey you.
I would see that your ways are not only right and true
But they are better than my own wisdom.
Father, teach me to obey your Word
Not because I have to, but because I love you.
Give me a heart that rejoices in the exposure of your truth
Because of how it leads me back to Jesus.
And break me of my confident assurance
That I see better – that I know better
That I understand more than you.
For the many ways this week
My heart has evidenced that lack of trust
I now bring before you...
Child, I know that everything within you
Believes that my love for you is conditional...
That you somehow have to obey me enough
Or have enough faith to experience my pleasure.
But that is a lie straight from the pit of hell.
My love for you is rooted in the finished work of my Son
Who lived the life you should have lived
And died the death you deserve to die.
Because of this, there is nothing
That can now separate you from my love.
Surely my goodness and mercy will follow you
All the days of your life!
Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
Neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
Will be able to separate you from my love.
And so child, this is my promise
You will never see the end of my goodness.
No matter what you do or say
No matter how you live
You will never see the end of my goodness to you.
Father, my heart truly does long for you
And I rejoice in how you have proven
To be my Strength and Shield.
And yet, I also have to confess
There are many times where
I turn to alternatives for my strength and security.
I value too much what people think of me.
I find inordinate security in money and things.
And my heart rises and falls
With how my hopes and dreams are coming to pass.
Not only that, but I also confess
That I often try and use you
To get those things I can’t get on my own.
And though I would never say it out loud
Deep down my heart believes that
The more I obey, the more likely you are to give it to me.
Father, forgive me for the many ways
I fail to see that you are my only
Source of satisfaction and joy.
Forgive me for looking for hope beyond you.
And forgive me for using you to pursue my own dreams.
Please come and satisfy my heart with your presence.
Help me to taste and see that you are good.
And for the many ways I’ve fed my heart
On the junk food of lies and selfish dreams,
I now confess to you...
Child, I didn’t send my Son
To live and die in your place
Just so you could be free to pursue your own dreams.
I lived the life you should have lived
And I died the death you deserved to die
So that you might have life – and have it to the full!
And that life is found in ME!
I created you for intimacy with me.
I designed you to satisfy your heart’s desires
In the presence of my “well done” spoken over you.
So let me declare this to you once again:
Because of the finished work of Jesus
You are my beloved
And I couldn’t be more pleased with you!
So sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, my children!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
For the Lord has taken away your punishment,
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
Never again will you fear any harm.
The Lord your God is with you,
The Mighty Warrior who saves.
I take great delight in you;
And in my love I no longer rebuke you,
But now rejoice over you with singing.
Child, I understand that you live in a world of commodities,
Where goods of equal value are exchanged.
And that makes my grace seem like a commodity
That you need to step up to contribute yourself.
But I want you to know that my grace cannot be bartered.
Nor can it be enhanced to with your moral choices.
My grace is only grace because it's grace.
If I loved you because of anything
Then my love would no longer be free.
As I have told my people for thousands of years,
I love you because I love you because I love you.
And that is the only “because” you will ever hear.
You are mine!
I have bought you with the precious blood of my Son, Jesus
And I will never let you go!
Stand amazed and rejoice
That my love for you today is unconditional
And my grace is free to those who ask.
Shout aloud wonders of my amazing grace
And sing with joy for this living hope.
Father, I live in a world of broken hearts and crushed dreams.
And everything in my life has been touched by its devastating effects.
My own heart is an idol factory
And I cannot escape the frustration and disillusionment
of the “me” beneath it all.
I confess this creates in me a critical eye toward the failings of others
While I minimize the shortcomings of my own heart.
It drives me to fits of anger when my will is crossed,
And fills me with righteous indignation when somebody challenges me.
I see it in my critical impatience with those around me,
And in my petty arguments and foolish need to always be right.
I find it easy to look down on “those people”
Who espouse political views and social values
That seem downright stupid to me.
And though I most often blame my problems
On other people and circumstances that seem unfair
Deep down I don’t seem to be able to outrun
The one common factor that ties them all together: me!
Father, please rescue me from me.
It's clear that the biggest problem that I have is in me.
My heart believes the lies of my own right to independence
And it taints everything I think and do and say.
Lead my heart back to the joy of being a dependent creature
Who loves and is filled with your presence.
Teach me to rest in the joys of what you’ve given me
Instead of the restlessness of seeking life on my own.
For the ways I've sought that life apart from you
I now bring before you in confession…
Father, there are times when I feel poor and powerless.
Seasons when I’m struggling
To keep my head above water.
But even there in my brokenness
My heart’s cry is often not for Jesus,
But for you to take away my pain.
I want you to fix my problems
And fill me with all the good things I long for.
And having the presence of Jesus
Walking with me through these trials
Is really not what my heart is after.
Father, help me to see that you are not a Genie
To grant me my wishes.
Lead my heart to understand that
Until I’m completely emptied of myself
I can never be filled with the fulness of your presence.
Show my heart that I was designed for you
And that all the wishes in the world
Could never fill the space
That I was designed for you alone to fill.
Father, I now empty myself of my pride
I empty myself of my agendas
And I ask you to come and fill me once again.
Father, when I remember your love
Displayed on the cross
I’m ashamed to admit the arrogant pride
That assumes I can bring some good effort
That adds to what Jesus has already accomplished.
I know better than any other person
Just how tainted my motivations are,
How corrupt and evil my thoughts can be.
And yet you see me even more deeply than I see myself.
Before your eyes I am exposed for the helpless sinner that I am.
And that exposure reminds me of the words of the Psalmist:
“The arrogant cannot stand in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies.”
So Father, I confess the lies of my independence
And self-sufficiency.
I repent for trying to be a partner in my salvation.
And I acknowledge my need of your righteousness,
Your goodness, your perfect life on my behalf.
And I reach out once again to lay hold
Of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me.
Give me the eyes to see the depth of my need.
And give me the faith to believe that
What Jesus did for me was enough.
For the lingering lies that draw my heart away from you,
And toward my own feeble efforts,
I now confess...
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