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Summary
- Three prayers cover a lie told to you, a false accusation against you, and the truth about yourself (Psalm 139:23–24).
- The 1928 Book of Common Prayer supplies traditional prayers for truth, including the collect “unto whom all hearts are open” and a prayer that courts “may discern the truth.”
- Jesus says twice in Luke that hidden things will be made known (Luke 8:17; 12:2), but Paul places the full uncovering at the Lord’s coming (1 Corinthians 4:5).
- Scripture asks for evidence before a verdict (Proverbs 18:13, 17; Deuteronomy 19:15) and sets out private confrontation first (Matthew 18:15–16).
- Catholic teaching calls it superstition to treat a prayer as a formula that works by being said (Catechism, paragraph 2111); prayer asks God to act and does not compel another person to confess.
- Abuse or a crime belongs with the police or a national abuse line, such as the US National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233).
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1611), text of Project Gutenberg eBook no. 10 (Numbers 32:23; Deuteronomy 18:10; 19:15; 2 Samuel 12:7, 12, 13; Psalm 37:6; 43:3; 120:2; 139:23–24; 141:3; Proverbs 18:13, 17; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Daniel 2:22; Amos 5:24; Matthew 7:3; 18:15–17; Luke 8:16–17; 12:1–2; John 8:31–32; Romans 12:19; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Ephesians 4:15, 25; 5:11, 13; 1 John 4:1). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
- The Book of Common Prayer (Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.), Standard Book of 1928. Prayers and Thanksgivings, “For Courts of Justice,” pp. 35–36; The Litany, pp. 56–57; Holy Communion, The Collect, p. 67. PDF facsimile: https://www.artisticdailyprayers.org/uploads/3/0/1/6/30164961/bcp1928std.pdf
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997. Paragraphs 2111 and 2117. https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_two/chapter_one/article_1/iii_you_shall_have_no_other_gods_before_me.html
- National Domestic Violence Hotline. https://www.thehotline.org/
- Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline. https://www.childhelphotline.org/
- Refuge. National Domestic Abuse Helpline. https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/
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