We have concentrated our attention on finding the words to say as you seek the God who gives generously. Let me close by simply naming three other things that further contribute to the process.
First, you are not alone. The Bible says, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another” (James 5:16). This liturgy has personalized words that each of us and all of us can say and mean. When we are honest, each of us “knows the affliction of his own heart” (1 Kings 8:38f). We are in this struggle together. Each of us and all of usalso share in God’s great gift of mercies, in which the Holy Spirit unites us as the body of Christ. Like the Lord’s Prayer, the General Confession that I adapted is intentionally
plural – “we have erred and strayed like lost sheep….” Faith is viral as well as verbal, caught as well as taught, corporate as well as individual. Seek out the shepherds into whose care God has placed you. Seek out wise, honest people who can help to bear your burden, who will pray with you, for you, beside you.
Second, partake of Christ’s feast of mercy: the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Communion, the Eucharist, the Great Thanksgiving. God intends that the bread and wine make real to our senses the willing self-sacrifice and shed blood of the Lamb. This…really… happened…. God’s promises are not just nice-sounding words. Mercy came in person and took action on your behalf. When it comes to guilt, shame and regret, it is so
easy to bog down in an inner morass of confusion and misery. But the gifts of God for the people of God take you by the hand. They speak and taste of mercies much more real than your inner psychological experience.
Finally, give thanks to God. My goal throughout has been to give you a liturgy of confession that will lead you to the grace of God. But you will be well-served to also personalize your thankfulness. As a guide, here is how the General Thanksgiving words it (adapted from The Book of Common Prayer):
Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we, your unworthy servants, do give you most humble and hearty thanks for all
your goodness and lovingkindness to us, and to all men.
We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life;
but above all, for your inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our
Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we beseech you, give us that due sense of all your mercies, that our hearts
may be unfeignedly thankful;
and that we show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by
giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and
righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all
honor and glory, world without end.
Amen.
Two starter thoughts. First, notice that there is an “all” in every section. To live in the light of those alls is to become sane and joyous. Second, “Amen” means, “I believe this with all my heart. This is true. I affirm this, and here I stand.” Gratitude runs deeper than misery, because grace runs deeper than sin.
Make all this your own, because almighty God has made you his own.
* * *
David Powlison, M.Div., Ph.D. David is a counselor and faculty member at CCEF and has been the editor
of The Journal of Biblical Counseling. He holds a Ph.D. in History of Science and Medicine from the
University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological
Seminary. David has been counseling for over thirty years and has written many books and articles on
biblical counseling and the relationship between faith and psychology.
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