Psalm 32 Prayer

Loving God,

Thank you for the gift of grace you offer through Jesus Christ our Lord whose perfection and holiness is the model for our lives.  Your Word calls us to confession of our sins so that we may be forgiven.  As individuals and as a nation, we confess our sins to the One who is Faithful to forgive us.  We confess that we have not honored First Peoples, that we have allowed Africans to be enslaved, that we have judged people by their ethnicity or color of skin instead of their character and heart.  We confess that we have used and exploited the abundant gifts from the earth to feed our greed instead of caring for your Creation.  We confess that we have taken for granted the many people and brilliant ideas of this nation and even exploited them for power, wealth, and self-satisfaction.  We confess that our feelings of helplessness to make positive changes have led to apathy about others and our nation.  We ask your forgiveness. We ask that you would purify our hearts and the collective heart of this nation so we may be Salt and Light to the world.  May we willingly confess and may there be no deceit in our spirits.  May we not be like a horse that has to be controlled, but may your Spirit guide us into paths of purity and peace. You are our hiding place, and our counsel.  May we rejoice in your forgiveness, O God our Savior!  

In Jesus's Name we pray,

Amen and Amen! 

Psalm 32

1 

Blessed is the one

    whose transgressions are forgiven,

    whose sins are covered.

2 

Blessed is the one

    whose sin the Lord does not count against them

    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 

When I kept silent,

    my bones wasted away

    through my groaning all day long.

4 

For day and night

    your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was sapped

    as in the heat of summer.

5 

Then I acknowledged my sin to you

    and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess

    my transgressions to the Lord.”

And you forgave

    the guilt of my sin.

6 

Therefore let all the faithful pray to you

    while you may be found;

surely the rising of the mighty waters

    will not reach them.

7 

You are my hiding place;

    you will protect me from trouble

    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

9 

Do not be like the horse or the mule,

    which have no understanding

but must be controlled by bit and bridle

    or they will not come to you.

10 

Many are the woes of the wicked,

    but the Lord’s unfailing love

    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;

    sing, all you who are upright in heart!