09/20/2021
By Pastor Vinnie Cappetta
“I Don’t Know What to Confess”
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8
Most Christians understand the importance of confession. We are already saved. We are not praying for God to save us, but we are praying for God to sanctify us…to make us more like Jesus. But what is to be done when we begin the prayer of confession only to find that we cannot find many sins to confess? I know that this has been a problem for me at times. How can I confess that of which I am not yet aware? I suppose that is why I am drawn to prayers of confession because they point me to specific areas in my life that I can assess and confess.
Here is one such prayer. If you don’t know what to confess, start here…
If I have wounded any soul today,
If I have caused one foot to go astray,
If I have walked in my own will full way -
Good Lord, forgive!
If I have uttered idle words or vain,
If I have turned aside from want or pain,
Lest I myself should suffer through the strain -
Good Lord, forgive!
If I have craved for joys that are not mine,
If I have let my wayward heart repine,
Dwelling on things of earth, not things divine -
Good Lord, forgive!
If I have been perverse, or hard, or cold,
If I have longed for shelter in Thy fold,
When Thou has given me some part to hold -
Good Lord, forgive.
Forgive the sins I have confessed to Thee,
Forgive the secret sins I do not see,
That which I know not, Father, teach Thou me -
Help me to live.
an evening prayer
- c. maud battersby
