A Prayer To Have A Change of Heart

It’s been a while since we took a few moments to reflect on where we need to repent – turn around from the way we are thinking, desiring, speaking, or behaving – and turn to God for forgiveness and strength to walk in a new way.

God’s word tell us:

Who may stand before the Lord? Only those with pure hands and hearts, who do not practice dishonesty and lying. They will receive God’s own goodness as their blessing from him, planted in their lives by God himself, their Savior.  Psalm 24:3b-5

We need to come to God regularly, to ask God to show us or remind us of ways that we sinned either deliberately or through negligence or weakness.  In some churches there is a time of reflection, confession and asking God’s forgiveness built into each Sunday service.  But each individual with a personal relationship with God needs to regularly check in and see what’s okay, what’s gone wrong, and make any necessary confessions and changes.

What attitude are we to bring as we observe our life from God’s perspective? 

First of all we need to come with humility that God’s way is the right way and our ways are not just deficient but truly ugly.  One Bible prophet described it this way: 

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.  Isaiah 6:5

Secondly we need to come before God with sorrow for how we’ve harmed our relationship with God and others whom God loves

The Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me all your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, mourning. Let your remorse tear at your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered; he is full of kindness and anxious not to punish you.  Joel 2:12-13

Thirdly, and amazingly, we need to come to God knowing that He already knows we are sinners and is willing to accept us and forgive us and restore us if we will just get honest and admit what’s been going on. 

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:6-9

There are many common prayers of confession.  Let’s pray one of them together now.  Let’s not have these words just be words but rather be open doors to the work of the Holy Spirit to show us how we individually have given expressions to the things mentioned in this familiar prayer:

Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

And then just a couple of prayers that name some specific ways we fall short and need to come to God to give us forgiveness and help us change.

We confess that we have forgotten that we are yours.  Sometimes we carry on our lives as if there was not God and we fall short of being a credible witness to You.  For these things we ask Your forgiveness and we also ask for your strength.  Give us clear minds and open hearts so we may witness to You in our world.  Remind us to be who You would have us be regardless of what we are doing or who we are with.  Hold us to You and build our relationship with You and with those You have given us on earth.  Amen

God our Father, we are sorry for the times when we have used your gifts carelessly, and acted ungratefully. We enjoy so many good things but sometimes forget that you have given them to us. We store up goods for ourselves alone, as if there were no God and no heaven.  We are people who are full and satisfied but who ignore the cry of the hungry. Too often we are thoughtless, and do not care enough for the people and the world you have made.  Father, in your mercy forgive us and help us. 

As we began this time reminding ourselves that God says that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrightousness, we now lay claim to His generous gift, receive His forgiveness and let go of all guilt, shame and condemnation attached to whatever has been forgiven.

God, the Father of mercies, has reconciled the world to himself through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, not counting our trespasses against us, but sending his Holy Spirit to pour out his love in us and through us.  God reconciles us to Himself through the Lord Jesus and so we receive his pardon, we are cleansed with His forgiveness, and we are filled with His peace as we stand before him in his strength alone, this day and evermore.  Amen