God.

We are in a hospital. We want to be healed.
We would almost be willing to dip ourselves in a dirty river if you would guarantee that we would be healed.

We confess.

We confess that we’d rather have one big miracle and be done than have tiny steps of obedience.
We confess that we prefer to reap what someone else has sowed than to spend all that time ourselves.
We confess that we are tempted to judge more than we are committed to love.
We find it harder to forgive than to condemn.
We find it harder to do what you tell us than it is to tell you what to do.
We confess that even when we are doing the right things, we get weary, we get tired of always being helpful, of often being alone.
We confess that we feel like giving up.
We confess that we need to know that you forgive us and love us.

God.

We ask you for courage.
We ask for the courage to love, to obey, to help.
We ask for the courage to forgive, to persist, to rest.
We ask for the courage to trust, to care, to confess.
We ask for the courage to find our identity in being loved by you.

And we thank you that you listen to us, with compassion for our weakness, because you understand.

Through Christ our Lord,

Amen.

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2 Kings 5:1-14; Galatians 6:1-16; Luke 10:1-20