Lord God,
Open our ears and teach us to obey the instructions you gave your people when you told them to teach their children your word. Guide us as we guide them Lord, so our children will learn to trust you and always be mindful of the great things you have done for us.
For we confess, gracious God, we have not always been as faithful to you as we should have been. In fact, we realize we’ve been rebellious, stubborn and faithless throughout much of our lives. We’ve foolishly doubted your protection and disobeyed your commands time and time again. We’ve ignored those parts of your word that are difficult or uncomfortable, and observed the other parts only when it suited us. We’ve taken your many blessings for granted and treated you like a genie in a lamp, to whom we can make requests. We’ve dishonored you, doubted you and refused to trust your saving power, and we were wrong.
Yet you, faithful God, continue to demonstrate your grace and truth to us. You continue to protect and provide for us despite our sin and rebellion. You give us all that we need to survive, and you fill our hearts with contentment through your word. Though we continue to stumble in our sin and faithlessness, you are extremely faithful to us Lord, in that you continue to forgive all our faults and failures, just as you promised you would.
You remember we are merely flesh and bones, like a wind that blows once and then dies down. Though it grieves you when we try your patience and test your mercy, you continue to bless us and redeem us through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. You patiently lead us away from our slavery to sin, and guide us into your presence where we are safe and secure.
Please forgive us when we do not love you the way that we should, when we believe the lies that lead us to doubt you and then devote our lives to other things. Forgive us Lord, when we worship the idols of our hearts—our possessions, our professions, our comfort, our safety, our loved ones, etc—forgive us when anything becomes more important to us than you. Forgive us when we are foolish, rebellious and stubborn, insisting that we know what is best for our lives. And forgive us when we arrogantly reject those you send to challenge and correct us.
Heal us Lord, because in our blindness, we fail to see your blessings and glory. Heal us and open our ears, so we can hear your instructions teach them to our children that they might learn to trust you and always be mindful of the great things you have done for us.
By the power of Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen
~Psalm 78:1-72; Mark 8:22-33
Where mercy is the rule, not the exception.
