From Ambassadors of Reconciliation
"He'll get my forgiveness, but not until he deserves it!" "I forgive her. I just don't want to have anything to do with her again!" "I'll forgive him, but not until he's suffered for a while." Praise God that His forgiveness is different than ours!
A barrier to reconciliation is the withholding of forgiveness from someone who has hurt us deeply. As one writer noted, “Unforgiveness is the poison we drink hoping the other person will die.” Yet, we still struggle to forgive as God forgave us.
Unforgiveness gnaws at us. It builds walls between us and the ones we won’t forgive. In teaching the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus highlights the relationship between our forgiveness from God and forgiving of others. You need not think long to see how often this is true. Refusing to forgive can begin a process of separating us from God. The wall we build against our enemy becomes a wall between us and God.
Those walls are tragic. Christians know how precious God’s forgiveness is and how undeserved it is. No matter what we do, how badly we sin, we are forgiven. Not because we deserve it. Simply because Jesus’ blood was shed for our sakes. Our sins were nailed to the cross, and we are forgiven! Believing in the forgiveness of our sins empowers us to tear down the walls of our unforgiveness.
Reflection Questions:
Identify someone that you are currently resisting or struggling to forgive. What has he/she done that has hurt or offended you so deeply?
What impact has withholding forgiveness had on you?
How has your worship of God been affected by withholding forgiveness?
How has bitterness, anger, malice, or unkind thinking toward this other person occupied your thoughts? How often does this happen?
In your mind, what needs to happen to help you overcome your struggle to forgive?
What does God require of you before offering you forgiveness? (See Romans 5:8).
What does God require of the other person before offering forgiveness?
Pray the Lord’s Prayer, pausing as you pray the petition, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
This month’s study text:
The Lord's Prayer
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:5-15 (ESV)
Prayer:
Dear Father, soften my heart. Tear down the walls between me and the ones I struggle to forgive. As you have forgiven me, help me to forgive others. I pray in Jesus' name and for the sake of His innocent suffering and death. Amen.