Prayer of Confession & Self-Examination

Practicing the 1, 2, 3 Prayer…

1.                                2.                  

3.

1). Fists clenched during confession as a reminder of what we hold onto or withhold from God 2). Hands opened, cupped, and uplifted to release to God all we have held and believed and to now receive His unconditional love 3).Hands folded and laid over the heart to claim God’s assured forgiveness and reconciliation

Over the next forty days we will practice confession, self-examination, meditation and listening  in a way that may be new to many. Engaging our whole being: mouth, mind, and body and soul by using a 1,2,3 Prayer. Each day you will have the opportunity to meditate on a passage of Scripture, spend time in self-examination and confession, then experience God’s release and assurance of forgiveness.  A sample prayer of confession and self-examination has been provided, but allow the Holy Spirit to take you where He wants with your confession and examination. When possible, I suggest speaking the steps of Release and Assurance aloud and with conviction.

Note: Some may enjoy the practice of using River Rocks or burlap sachets to hold in each hand instead of making an empty fists during confession (the weight of the rocks and the feel of the scratchy burlap help keep us focused in prayer and remind us how heavy and irritating our sin is to us, to others, and how grievous they are to God!). These should be released when it is time to move into Release where the hands are upraised and then Assurance where the arms are folded over the heart and chest.      

 

 

Although the movements described here are used to accompany prayers of confession and self-examination they can also be used during times of anxiety, fear or distress. Or while praying the promises of God! Do not feel limited to the meditations of prayers here, but allow the Holy Spirit to lead you!

1, 2,3 Prayer:

Today’s Focus for Self-Examination & Confession:

• Do I follow God’s instruction for my life as willingly as exampled in today’s readings?
• What have the consequences be when I haven’t?
• How has my disobedience disappointed God or caused myself or others to be uncovered or vulnerable?

                                                                                                                                    

From Matthew 1:20-21, 24; 2:12-15; 2:19-21; 4:12-13

¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit… ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” ²¹ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹² Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³ And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

 

(sample) Prayer of Confession/Self-Examination

Search me, O God, and know me. See if there is any way about me that keeps me back from You, from Your best for me, from Your healing or love. See if I am full of disobedience, complaint, fear, discouragement, timidity, pride, hate, anger, bigotry, anxiety, self-pity, or dependency on anything or anyone except you. See the things I hold onto, the things I withhold from You, the things that keep me separated from You and others, the things I cherish more than You, my secret and hidden sins, and grant me Your healing. Forgive me for my weaknesses and return to my sin so many times, even after I’ve confessed it, accept my intent to do better and walk in a new way before You. In exchange for my                                    (sin condition or weakness, etc). I pray, fill me with Your                                 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, contentment, self-control, faithfulness, gentleness, strength, courage, healing, etc)

 

Release:

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forgot not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s…(Psalm 103:1-5, 10)

 

Assurance:

Our God does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities, but reminds us; “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:5, 11-12)…Amen