21 powerful prayers for forgiveness to help you repent your sins

21 powerful prayers for forgiveness to help you repent your sins

Seeking forgiveness is a transformative process that can bring peace and healing to the soul. Powerful prayers for forgiveness offer a pathway to release guilt, mend relationships, and find inner peace. Here are impactful prayers that can help you seek divine mercy.

Prayers for forgiveness
Forgiveness to help you to experience healing, and spiritual renewal. Photo: Surasak Suwanmake (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

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Whether it is for healing from past mistakes, mending relationships, or finding redemption, prayer provides a powerful way to ask for grace and renewal. Through prayers for forgiveness and repentance, you open ourselves to spiritual growth, acknowledging our faults and inviting forgiveness.

Powerful prayers for forgiveness

Prayers for forgiveness of sins, renewal, and repentance feature five key elements. These include acknowledging sin, remorse and a commitment to growth and change.

  • Heavenly Father, I confess my sins to You. I trust in Your promise that if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive. Purify my heart, renew my spirit and make me whole again. Thank You for Your unwavering love and mercy. Amen.
  • Almighty Father, You do not treat me as my sins deserve, nor do You repay me according to them. Your vast love and forgiveness removes my transgressions as far as the East is from the West. I humbly come to You today, confessing my sins and asking for Your forgiveness. Wash me and cleanse me. Help me to walk in the freedom of Your love and grace. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Prayers for forgiveness in the Bible
Seeking forgiveness allows you to find reconciliation and gives you a sense of peace with yourself. Photo: JessRodriguez
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  • Lord Jesus, just like Stephen, entrusted his spirit to You in his final moments. I pray for Your strength to ask for forgiveness for those who wronged me. Strengthen my spirit, O Lord, and help me to forgive those who hurt me, even when it is hard. Grant me a heart mercy that offers the same forgiveness You gave me. In Your holy name, Amen.
  • Almighty Lord, I have sinned against You. Wash and restore me to wholeness, and let the joy of Your peace fill my heart. Cleanse me with Your loving mercy and make me pure. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
  • Loving Father, though my sins are stained, I trust in Your lovingkindness to cleanse, restore and purify me. I humbly ask for Your forgiveness, trusting that You can restore me through Your grace. Thank You for Your mercy. In Jesus' name, Amen.
  • Heavenly Father, I come before You, humbly acknowledging that I have sinned against You. In Your mercy and grace, forgive me and restore me to You. I ask that You cleanse me and restore me to Your loving arms. Thank You for Your forgiveness and the new birth it offers Your servant. Amen.

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Short prayers for forgiveness

Short prayers for forgiveness
The journey of forgiveness starts with recognising and admitting wrongdoing. Photo: ImagineGolf
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Short prayers, whether silently or loudly, are the best way to stay connected to your faith during a busy day. Have a look at these prayers, and you can say them on the go.

  • Lord Jesus, Son of God. Have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen.
  • Lord Jesus Christ, You chose to be called the friend of sinners. Free me from my sins by your saving power. Amen.
  • Father of mercy, like the prodigal son, I return to You to confess my sins against You. I am not worthy to be called your child. Cleanse and purify my heart. Amen.
  • Father, I have sinned against You. Yet You embraced my brokenness and the loss with unwavering love and compassion. Be merciful to me, a sinner. Amen.
  • Lord Jesus Christ, You are the lamb of God who takes away the world's sins. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, forgive me and cleanse me. Restore me to friendship with God. Amen.

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Prayers for forgiveness and letting go

Prayers for forgiveness and letting go
Forgiveness heals broken relationships, allowing them to grow. Photo: leolintang
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As Nelson Mandela put it, forgiveness liberates the soul. Have a look at these petitions to help you release any attachment to past hurts, grudges, resentment or anger.

  • Merciful Father, I release all resentment and bitterness I hold. Teach me to love my enemies and those who have hurt me. Grant me the power to let go of grudges and to walk in the freedom of forgiveness. Amen.
  • Loving Jesus, I yield my life in Your hands, for my life seems to be falling apart at the seams, and I am desperate. Oh Lord, I have held onto hurt, anger, and resentment, which can consume me. I am coming to You confessing my need for Your peace and restoration. Lord, I pray You would help me to let go of unforgiveness. Amen.
  • Lord Jesus, my heart is broken, and I do not know how to let go. I have held on to the burden. I come to You humbly, confessing that I can do nothing in my own strength. I need Your peace and healing to mend my broken heart and release the past wounds. I pray that Your grace and mercy will lead and guide me to forgiveness and restoration. Amen.
  • Lord God, I submit my life to You. Show me how to abide in You daily, and instruct me how to live in spirit and truth. Help me, Lord, to give complete control to You in every way. Thank You, Lord, that You have not forsaken me. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
  • Lord, I humbly kneel before You in submission. In Your merciful kindness, help me let go of all worries, fears, problems, doubts, and guilt that fill my heart and mind. Grant me divine peace, grace, and the freedom of Your love. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen.

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Prayers for the forgiveness of others

Prayers for the forgiveness of others
Like Jesus forgives His faithful, Christians are expected to forgive others. Photo: Anton Petrus
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Forgiveness of other people is the first step to true healing. These prayers help you find relief from hurt caused by others.

  • Lord, remind me of the healing that forgiveness brings and show me how to freely extend this to [insert name]. I know what it means to be forgiven, but the pain makes forgiving difficult. Help me to move past what was done by filling my heart with forgiveness, healing and peace. Amen.
  • Holy Spirit, I ask for Your help in forgiving the person who hurt me. Heal my wounded heart. Remind me of the Lord's grace toward me despite my sins against Him. Help me to freely extend grace to [insert name]. Amen,
  • Righteous Father, Your Word reminds me that if I forgive those who have sinned against me, then You, my Heavenly Father, will forgive me. Today, I choose to forgive. I declare that I will make allowances for others' faults and forgive anyone who has offended me. I confess that as I love my neighbours, I fulfil the requirement of God’s law. In Jesus' name, amen.
  • Beloved Father, thank You for loving, forgiving and saving me. Thank You for being patient with me and increasing Your presence and anointing in my life. I pray that I may receive the grace and strength to forgive as You did. Fill all my relationships with mercy and love as You have shown me. Amen.
  • Lord Jesus Christ, forgive me for holding grudges, malice, thinking vengeful thoughts, and seeking revenge. Forgive me for not letting Your love flow through me to those who have hurt me. Holy Spirit, remind me to forgive, and please help me to forgive as You bring to my remembrance those I need to forgive. Amen.

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Scriptures that encourage forgiveness

Many Bible verses offer guidance on how to pray for forgiveness. Here are examples of biblical prayers of forgiveness.

  • If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. — 1 John 1:9
  • He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. — Psalm 103:10-12
  • Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. — Psalm 51:7-9
  • Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. — Isaiah 1:18
  • I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants. — Luke 15:18-20

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How do you repent and ask God for forgiveness?

To repent is to recognise your sins, confess and make restitution for them. True repentance also requires you to commit to change.

How do you pray to forgive someone who hurt you?

Offering forgiveness is a transformative act that can help you release the weight of resentment and bitterness. To pray for someone who hurt you, you need to;

  • Acknowledge the burden of your pain
  • Ask God for the strength to forgive, extend compassion and love
  • Surrender your feelings
  • Ask for healing and peace

What is the most powerful prayer for forgiveness?

The Lord's Prayer, a famous piece of Scripture given to the disciples by Jesus, is considered a powerful prayer for clemency. David's appeal for mercy in Psalms 51 is considered a powerful forgiveness prayer.

What is the miracle prayer for forgiveness?

According to My Catholic Life, the Miracle Prayer for forgiveness is prayed through Mary, the mother of Jesus and all the Angels and Saints. In it, the faithful also pray to St. Peregrine Laziosi, the patron saint of life-threatening illnesses best known for forgiveness.

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Prayers for forgiveness are profound appeals to God to seek peace after wrongdoing. They are expressions of sorrow in the hope of making things right. Forgiveness is a free gift granted to those who desire it.

Legit.ng recently published an article on praying for someone who helped you financially. Close friends, family members, and sometimes strangers go out of their way to offer financial assistance.

When you can not return the favour, prayers can go a long way in showing gratitude. Read on for powerful prayers to say over your financial helpers.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ciku Njuguna avatar

Ciku Njuguna (Lifestyle writer) Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with four years of experience in content creation working with Sports Brief and CyberSchool technologies. She has a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics (2018) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of Nairobi (2022). Ciku joined Legit.ng in 2024, where she currently covers lifestyle content. In 2023, she finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. In 2024, she participated in the Google News Initiative training program. Email: ciku.njuguna1@gmail.com