A Prayer of Repentance
Author: Lyle F. Weldon (Kentucky, US)
I was a chaplain to the inmates at the prison near my home. One day, a prisoner told me that he had difficulty in 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 said that he had.
‘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’ (Psalm 103:12). When memories bring us guilt, we can remember God’s forgiveness and unconditional love. His love is our refuge at all times, and he has promised us peace.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for Jesus Christ, who died for our sins. Forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Amen