One of the most meaningful portions of our worship gatherings are our public prayers. Every week we include a prayer of confession for a particular sin. Our desire is that through these prayers we will not only confess our sins corporately, but learn how better to confess our sins personally. The following is a prayer of confession that was prayed by Jake Rogier on August 2, 2020.  

To The Most Holy and Almighty God

You are a forgiving, loving, beautiful, amazing, majestic, and wonderful King. But we, we really don’t see you that way.  

Sure, we affirm it when pastor says it. We wouldn’t outrightly and publicly disagree with Your Word when you tell us we “ought to be Holy for You Are Holy.”  

But God, our hearts are deceptively wicked. We see your calling, commanding us to be Holy. But. We. Are. Not. ... I am not.  

You say in Your Word we have committed two evils: One, we have left the fountain of living water.Two, we have made broken pitchers and filled them with dirty water.  

Let me now confess on behalf of Your People how we have specifically committed these two treacherous evils. Namely, we have profaned Your Name and committed the sin of idolatry.  

First; we have left the fountain of life. God we have forsaken you. We have said that we love You and hated our brothers and sisters. We have said Your Word is Truth and trusted in our own wisdom and the wisdom of politicians, sports figures, and scientists more than You. We have said all I have is Christ and so desperately held on to our jobs, our families, our phones, our alone time, our children, our safety, our health, and our earthly life. You have freely given us all things!  

Romans 8:32!! BUT YOU WERE NOT ENOUGH. You did NOT spare even YOUR OWN SON!! Holy GOD! We have left you, we have left you.  

Articles are more important, timelines and stories are more important, family time is more important, video games are more important. Phone calls, talking with friends about feelings, and reading books are more important than You. I AM MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU! God, forgive us. We have left you. Forgive us. In your mighty mercy, forgive us.  

Second, we have constructed broken vessels of dirty water. God, as if rejecting the Author of Life, the One who is Divine, the One who weighs the soul to determine heaven or hell as it’s destination; as if rejecting You wasn’t enough, we spit on You once more. No, twice.  

For we have rejected Your Good Grace sufficient for the day and tried to save up some extra manna for tomorrow. And in our attempts to secure more safety and life’s sustenance, our vessels are broken. We are a broken people, O Lord My God. We create broken things. We desire broken things. We want and think we need broken things.  

NOT ONLY HAVE WE REJECTED YOU... We have sought dirty water. You promised us everlasting life in Joy and Peace if we just live a life scarified completely to You, and WE. SAID. “NO!!”  

We like our dirty water. We want our dirty water. In fact, we NEED our dirty water. We’ve made our sustenance in the things of this world. We have made graven images in our minds and hearts.  

Oh, no, we’ve evolved: We don’t waste our time melting gold or silver to worship some graven beast. No, please. Rather, we spend 3 hours a day sucked into an electronic device and we keep it in our pocket, and at our desk, and at the dinner table, and in our beds. Yes, we are evolved so much we actually cannot live without our idols. They are connected to our very essence.  

No, God, we don’t go to a strip club; we just invite adultery into our beds through the screen.

No, God, we don’t go to the temple of Zeus to worship some foreign deity; rather, we sit in our family rooms for 12 hours binging The Avengers and The Marvel series fawning over and fantasizing about the strength of Captain America and the beauty of Black Widow.  

No, God, we don’t take our brothers to court because they’ve wronged us; in fact, we demolish their whole being on Twitter or in a conversation with a close trusted friend who happens to cherish crushing other’s character in the same manner we enjoy.  

No, God, we don’t steal food from the poor; we just eat 2nds and 3rds and 4ths at church potlucks without giving a second thought to the soup kitchen that may close next week because they have insufficient funds and insufficient volunteers.  

No, God, we don’t wear all the colors of Joseph’s technicolor coat; we must wear Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Aeropostale, Calvin Klein and the like, without considering for even a moment the neighbor who can’t afford a coat this winter.  

No, God, we'd rather have our TV, friends, family, clothes, food, porn, phones, and pride. Yes, God, we’ll take all of these things and leave you. You tell us in Your Word, that “the sorrows of those who run after another God shall multiply,” and again, “those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.”  

God, we are sorrowful. We need you. We need your forgiveness. We know You’re a God of great grace.  

So what shall I say then, for Your People, O God? Shall we continue in sin that Your Good Grace may abound? May it NEVER BE. MAY. IT. NEVER. BE. Forgive us, O God, according to Your Rich mercy. Forgive us!! Forgive us! Cleanse us!  

We need YOU. Nothing else. Nothing else. Just YOU.  

Amen.