A Prayer about Our Need for Cleansing
A Prayer about Our Need for Cleansing
‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.’ Isaiah 1:18
Forgiving Lord,
It’s easy to read about the sins of Judah
back in the days of the evil kings
and think, “Oh, we’re not like that!”
I mean, after all, we’re not like Sodom,
who mixed their worship with pagan worship (Isaiah 1:10-11).
(Or are we?).
Our hands are not “full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15).
(Or, are they?)
To Judah, you commanded,
“Cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice, correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:16-17).
Do we recognize our own sins
in your calling to seek justice and to correct oppression?
Lord, by your Spirit,
show us just how dark
our sinful hearts can be
so that we can fully rejoice
in how bright and healing
your forgiveness of our sins is.
Show us how bloody our hands can be
so that we can see how fully
you have cleansed us,
like an ink-stained sheet bleached white.
With gratitude for your forgiveness,
may we move into this broken world
with your redeeming love.
In Jesus’ cleansing name. Amen.
Read Isaiah 1:1-20.
