“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those who trespass against us, ” we quote this simple phrase in the Lord’s prayer every single day, but do we know the power it holds? Each day, you are making a twofold request and decree to God that if He does one thing, then in return, you’ll do another. So, my question is, if we’re praying this prayer daily and asking God to forgive us, as we forgive those who offend or trespass against us, how are we still holding grudges from days ago, weeks ago, months ago, or even years ago? How is it possible to still be so mad at our blood relatives, our co-workers, our significant other, internet trolls, our neighbor, the store clerks, and/or even other drivers on the highway? Are we failing to put our words into action on a daily basis? Are we lying each time we pray to God? By withholding forgiveness towards those individuals who have sinned against us, we are not carrying out our part. Should we really be praying “Forgive me of my sins, o Lord, as I hold every person accountable who offend or hurt me?” Some of us even ask God to throw our sins in the sea of forgetfulness/forgiveness or “as far as the east is from the west” in an effort to have our sins far from Him or erased from God’s memory, yet we ourselves hold the sins others have committed against us in constant memory and close to our hearts. We so desperately want God to quickly avenge or punish those who hurt us.

Where is the righteousness in unforgiveness? How are we mimicking God? Psalm 86: 15 says our God is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. God wants us to be the same way with others, yet we are more like the unmerciful servant in the parable Jesus told Peter in Matthew 18: 21-35. A servant owed a master ten thousand bags of gold which would be 20 years’ worth of wages for a day laborer. Since he was unable to pay, the servant and his family had to be sold to repay the debt. His servant begged for patience and forgiveness and the master took pity, cancelled all debt, and let him go. The forgiven servant then went out and found one of his servants that owed him only hundred silver coins. The servant grabbed and choked his servant demanding payment. The servant’s servant did just as the forgiven servant; begged for patience in paying it back, but the forgiven servant refused and had this servant thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. Well, this news got back to the master who called back in his servant and said, “you wicked servant, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” In anger, the master handed his servant over to the jailers to be tortured, until he could pay back all he owed. Jesus ended this parable with, “this is how my heavenly father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Should we really be praying “Forgive me of my sins, o Lord, as I hold every person accountable who offend or hurt me?”

Karen

Our Heavenly Father is bringing this subject to our attention today because he has a desire for mercy; for us to begin forgiving those who offend, hurt, or even betray us. He wants us to start taking our prayers, words to him, and meditations of our hearts seriously. He no longer wants them to simply be repetitive words we quote daily that have lost all meaning. Today, God wants you to forgive your debtors as He forgives you! Before I end this, I believe God wants me to share pieces of Psalm 139 with you which you should go back and read in its entirety.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain…. (Skipping to vs. 13) For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are too wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious are your thoughts concerning me, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand-when I awake, I am still with you.”

Happy Sabbath!

~Karen