Prayer of Confession

Week 13 Day 6

16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16

When Jesus was asked to teach his disciples how to pray, he gave them the prayer we all know now as the ‘Our Father.” This prayer contains every part of prayer that we’ve talked about this week, including a tough but crucial one, the prayer of confession. It’s hard to admit our wrongs, but we are called to be humble followers of Christ. Confession and forgiveness are at the heart of the Gospel message. Confession makes us humble and honest children of God.
As this passage in James tells us, it is not as simple as lifting up our sins to God, but also to each other. True confession and repentance comes from a heart that wants to change, and this involves both talking to God and any of the people you’ve wronged, both confessing to them, and then praying for them as we’re called to do.

Reflection Questions

1. What are some things on your heart you need to confess and lift up to God?
2. What people do you need to reconcile with as a part of these confessions to share the love of Christ with?
3. What do you need/are you going to say to them?

Take the Next Step

Through Confession we can continue to see our need for the Cross and Christ in our lives, but it’s not an easy thing to do. Talk to people about it, talk to God about it, and make confession a part of everyday so that we can realize our faults, learn, and become more like Jesus.