Jesus wasn’t kidding when he laid out this prayer for our “come to Jesus” meeting with the Father. He told me to pray this way if I am going to come before the abba Father and live in genuine relationship with my brothers and sisters in our family. He said to pray this way:
Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come, your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
What makes this prayer so applicable today is the commentary Jesus adds to it.
For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Couple this addendum with Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:23-24 and Matthew 18:21-35 and you understand very clearly that forgiveness is a crucial part of Kingdom character. In my Heartlight.org article today, we look at Jesus forgiving His disciples who had abandoned, forsaken, betrayed, and denied Him in His hours of greatest need. This prayer and the article really challenge me in my life and force me to ask some questions of myself and of us, Jesus’ people.
Why is forgiveness hard for you?
How is forgiveness liberating to the person forgiven?
How is forgiveness liberating to the person who does the forgiving?
Why do you believe Jesus is so adamant that His followers be a forgiving people? (Read the Lord’s Prayer, along with Jesus’ editorial comment in Matthew 6:9-15 and also Jesus’ parable about the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35 before answering this question!)
The apostle Paul called us to forgive like we have been forgiven(Ephesians 4:32-5:1). How are we like God when we forgive?
How can we help each other become more forgiving?
Why are confrontation of sin and confession of sin so important to creating an environment of forgiveness? (Matthew 5:23-24; Matthew 18:15-20; James 5:16)
I’d love to hear any insights or responses you have!
