A Prayer of Repentance December 14, 2015

Read Psalm 103:1-12

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.

1 Kings 8:30     Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

Psalm 32:5     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.

Psalm 51:2     Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Proverbs 28:13     Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Jeremiah 3:13     Only acknowledge your guilt-- you have rebelled against the LORD your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,'" declares the LORD.

I was a minister to the inmates at the county jail near my home. One day, an inmate told me that he had a difficult time forgiving himself for past sins. I inquired if he had asked for God’s forgiveness and if he believed that God had forgiven him. He answered affirmatively.

“Then you must forgive yourself,” I concluded.

Memories — both good and bad — are stored in our brain and resurface from time to time. We find pleasure in reminiscing about good events, but we are uncomfortable when we recall bad ones. However, they lose their power when we remember the words of the psalmist, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath [the LORD] removed our transgressions from us.” When memories bring us guilt, we can revel in God’s forgiveness and unconditional love. God’s love is our refuge in all times, and God has promised us peace