Tonight's evening prayer of confession and the declaration of the hope of the Gospel is based on Elihu's confrontation with Job.
"If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, and he is merciful to him, and says, “Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor; then he prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. He sings before men and says: ‘I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light’ (Job 33.22-28).
Heavenly Father we confess that you are infinite, most holy, most wise, most forgiving and that you accomplish everything according to your gracious will. In your mercy you have opened our eyes and ears to the terrifying consequences of our sins. You have warned us to turn aside from our prideful conceit lest we perish in our sin. Now with true repentance, we ask you to show us mercy on behalf of your Son and our Savior. With our whole heart we submit ourselves to you; trusting in you alone to reconcile us to yourself through your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ.
"If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, and he is merciful to him, and says, “Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor; then he prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. He sings before men and says: ‘I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light’ (Job 33.22-28).
Heavenly Father we confess that you are infinite, most holy, most wise, most forgiving and that you accomplish everything according to your gracious will. In your mercy you have opened our eyes and ears to the terrifying consequences of our sins. You have warned us to turn aside from our prideful conceit lest we perish in our sin. Now with true repentance, we ask you to show us mercy on behalf of your Son and our Savior. With our whole heart we submit ourselves to you; trusting in you alone to reconcile us to yourself through your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ.