A Prayer About Honesty

When I am tempted to lie or steal

HEAVENLY FATHER,

I know you want me to display the highest integrity in everything I do—in my conversations, with the government, in the workplace, when I’m shopping—to be truthful and honest in all my dealings. But sometimes I am tempted to cut corners a bit. When I receive too much change at a restaurant, for example, I can easily rationalize that I deserve it; after all, it’s the waitstaff’s mistake, and this makes up for when I was overcharged, and so forth. Or when I am confronted about something I have done, my first thought is to deny the truth, blame someone else, or make excuses. And income tax preparation is a definite pressure point for being honest. I know that you see everything and know my thoughts and that you forgive me of my sins even before I do them. But your Word makes very clear that you expect your people to be honest. I want to be totally open with you, Lord. And I want my first inclination to be to do what is right.

LORD, you are searching for honesty. Jeremiah 5:3