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Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
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As I was praying for you over the last few days, I kept returning to the words above.
For this week’s prayer guide, I want to offer two reasons why Jesus would place forgiveness at the center of daily prayer. There are more than two but let’s just look at these for now.
The first reason is simple—every one of us is quite good at making mistakes . . . at getting life wrong. There’s plenty of forgiveness to go around, so we should get comfortable giving and receiving in it. Not to mention, Jesus compared forgiveness to the inescapable and necessary rhythm of breath (John 20:22–23).
But the second reason is less simple—we’d like to believe we can forgive and be done with a matter but that’s not (always) the case. As we move through life and grow in awareness, we tend to discover facets of pain, disappointment, failure, sin, etc. that we didn’t know existed. Even decades removed, we often engage with relational fractures in fresh ways, which can certainly feel discouraging and confusing—I thought I was over this, why am I here again? Why can’t I just forgive and forget?
It can take time for us to understand how we were wronged (or how we were in the wrong). Does this mean forgiveness can’t happen until the debt is perfectly calculated or understood? No. But it does mean we can know the healing power of forgiveness in new ways as we grow in awareness.
Response
My friend, please don’t believe the lie that forgiveness is transactional. Like Shrek’s onion, there are layers to it, layers that the Spirit patiently peels back over time. Forgiveness isn’t transactional, but it is transformational.
In Psalm 139, David invites God to search and try his thoughts—to take inventory of ways, patterns, or strongholds that would keep him from walking in the way of Life. If we let Him, God will search out those painful parts of our past and reveal them when the time is right. Disorienting as this awareness may be, the Spirit of life is committed to guiding us into greater freedom, introducing new dimensions of wholeness.
As you read these words, is there a person or situation that comes to mind? Maybe a stronghold of shame or a wound from a friend? Could it be that you’re now ready to take a deeper breath than ever before, receiving and releasing greater freedom into that situation, memory, or relationship?
Closing Thoughts
Fresh or familiar pain is never enjoyable, but we mustn’t forget that pain is good as long as it’s necessary. It locates what is hurt so it can be healed. Don’t deny the pain but do defy it through your daily surrender.
It’s in the light of prayer that we see a debt for what it is and find the courage to do what needs to be done.
Praying with you,
Addison
P.S. I write a good amount on forgiveness in my book Words with God, specifically toward the end of the book. If you’re new to this community or don’t have the book yet, just click here to get your copy (it’s available as a book, eBook, and audiobook)
