How to Pray – Confession

This month at church we’re learning how to pray using the model ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. The strength of using a model like ACTS is:

1) It helps to ensure our prayers are not all about ‘me’, it helps us to focus on God – who he is and what he has done.

2) It gives structure to prayer time, which helps stop our minds from wandering.

This article focuses on C – Confession.

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In the ACTS model of prayer, the second step is Confession. After Adoring God for who he is and what he has done, it is appropriate that we come before God in confession.

Why Confess?

Our culture does not have much room for forgiveness or grace. If you happen to be caught in your sin, whether it be a moral failure or an unhelpful decision, you may as well fall on your sword. In the public realm today, an apology rarely satisfies. Instead, you are required to resign or remove yourself from the situation and let someone else fill your shoes. There is not much room for grace or forgiveness.

But in the Christian life, we know that we need grace and forgiveness because we fail God and sin against him regularly. We all should be falling on our swords. Nehemiah, in the Old Testament, knew this as he prayed to God before asking for favour with the King. In chapter 1:6-7, Nehemiah prayed, ‘I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family have committed against you. We have acted wickedly towards you…’ We are no different from Nehemiah or the ancient Israelites – we fail to live up to God’s perfect law, which Jesus very simply summarised – love God and love your neighbour. We let God down all the time and sin against him and because of this, we are desperately in need of God’s grace and mercy.

We can Confess

Thankfully God’s grace and mercy can be found. In the letter to the Hebrews the writer talks about Jesus being a high priest who has ascended into heaven (Hebrews 4:14), who knows our weaknesses and temptations because he was human, but did not sin (4:15). Jesus, as our high priest, offered his life for our sins. He died in our place on the cross so that we can be forgiven, then he rose and ascended to heaven. And because of this the writer exhorts us, ‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’

Because of Jesus, we can enter the throne room of the eternal living God, plead for our forgiveness and say sorry to God. How will God respond? God, because of Jesus, says “You’re forgiven, receive my grace, be a bearer of my mercy”. God is a God who shows grace and forgiveness. The most famous example of forgiveness in the Bible is King David when he sinned against Bathsheba by committing adultery with her and then murdering her husband in a cover-up. King David was found out by God. His prayer of confession is recorded in Psalm 51, where David rests on God’s undeserved grace and forgiveness. He writes, ‘Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow’ (Psalm 51:7). King David knows that God will show grace and forgiveness to his people.

Photo by mark tulin on Unsplash

How do we Confess?

Because Jesus is our high priest, we can talk directly to him in prayer. You don’t need anyone else involved. In the Anglican Church, we pray a prayer of confession every week during our service. It is prayed together, with each person talking directly to God. I, as a minister, am not acting as a middleman. Everyone confesses directly to God. Then after the confession prayer is said, a word of assurance from the Scripture is given that God has indeed forgiven our sin, like 1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. It is God’s people, calling on God to show us his grace and mercy.

Why include confession in the model of daily prayer? Answer: Because we sin each day. and it’s appropriate to come before God and rest on his mercy and grace. The prayer doesn’t need to be complex. It can be as simple as, “God, please forgive my sin”, or you could even use the confession prayer we use in church (see below). But you can also be specific, “God please forgive me for… gossiping, for lustful thoughts, for greed, for impatience, for not depending on you in prayer, for not prioritising my church family, for not loving my neighbour, for not loving you.” As you read God’s word, God’s Spirit might bring things to mind that you need to confess – you can confess, there and then.

If your trust is in Jesus, know that prayer is answered, and that sin is forgiven – because of Jesus, our high priest and his sacrifice. So, give it a go, and add CONFESSION to your regular prayer time.