Confession is when a Christian feels that they have done something wrong and need to tell god about it. Confessing to god helps Christians face up to their wrongs and can help them set everything right again. Christians believe that god is a merciful god and that they can ask him for forgiveness and turn to him in times of need. When a Christian repents, they have to mean it in their heart. It’s not just like saying ‘sorry’ and not meaning it. Ever since Christianity started, followers believed that sin spoilt their connection with god. The Bible also, makes it clear that it is important to confess your sins to god, and throughout the ages, it has been known that believers wrote letters of confession to god. Some examples of a prayer showing confession are ‘Be merciful to me, O god, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy, wipe away my sins! Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin’ (OLD TESTAMENT, PSALM), ‘But if we confess our sins to god, he will keep his promise and do what is tight: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing’ (NEW TESTAMENT, 1 JOHN, CHAPTER 1, VERSE 9), ‘Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us’ (MATTHEW, CHAPTER 6, VERSE 12), ‘…And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.’ (THE LORD’S PRAYER) and ‘Lord, forgive us all for our sins and let us start afresh. We are not perfect, but with your help, we could nearly be, so please forgive us all’ (TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF A PRAYER OF CONFESSION ANYONE COULD USE, BY ME). As can be seen from my above examples, prayers of confession include something asking god to ‘wipe away my sin’. This is like pleading for forgiveness.
Thanksgiving is when a Christian wants to thank god for his work. It might be good news, recovering from an illness, saving someone’s life or just for life itself; but one thing is clear: it helps us feel grateful, and stop taking things for granted. In any Christian denomination, there are examples of thanksgiving. It goes way back to the Old Testament, where people used to thank god for different things. In the US, there is a celebration of thanksgiving, where people just thank god for all the work he’s done. Some examples of a prayer showing thanksgiving are ‘Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord; because he is good; his love is eternal’ (OLD TESTAMENT, PSALM 106, V1), ‘We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks to you! We proclaim how great you are and tell of the wonderful things you have done’ (OLD TESTAMENT, PSALM 75, V1), ‘Come, let us praise the Lord! Let us sing for joy to god, who protects us! Let us come before him with thanksgiving’ (OLD TESTAMENT, PSALM 95, V1-2) and ‘Let us honour the Lord! Rejoice, for he is among us! We all give thanks to the Lord for the wonderful things he has done for us’ (MY OWN PRAYER OF THANKS GIVING). As can be seen from my examples, prayers of thanksgiving include a lot of words which honour the Lord. They are happy verses (Thanksgiving) with many references to god’s greatness.
Supplication is basically when believers ask god for help, although it’s sometimes it can be asking for other things -like rain in countries where crops are grown. There are many things a person in this position may pray for, like courage to face a difficult matter or strength to attempt a difficult job. People also pray for others in this context. It could be for a sick friend or family member. There is one thing most Christians despise, and that is selfish praying, like for a new TV or to win the Lottery. This again, is a form of prayer that has been used by Christians through the ages, it’s also mentioned quite a few times in the Bible too. Some examples of supplication are ‘I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message. I pray that they may all be one, Father!’ (JOHN, CHAPTER 17, VERSE 20), ‘First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people’ (1 TIMOTHY, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 1), ‘So Peter was kept in jail, but the people of the church were praying earnestly to god for him’ (ACTS, CHAPTER 12, VERSE 5) and ‘I pray that we all may live together in peace. I pray for the banishment of all conflict and fighting, so please, take heed and listen…’ (TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF A PRAYER OF SUPPLICATION ANYONE COULD USE, BY ME). Supplication is, as I’ve previously mentioned, a way of asking god for things through prayer. This can be seen in the examples I’ve given. Christians’ have different views on whether prayers of Supplication are answered. This mainly depends on their views of god, however, if Christians’ think of god being deep inside themselves, they will see prayer as a way of opening up a number of pathways connecting people’s minds and a variety of situations in order to let new optimism and strength flow through. For instance, praying for s dick person may help them get better quicker. In whatever ways prayers of supplication are understood by Christians, they are all agreed on one thing - saying them helps them to feel good and to face life better.
