by Marilynn Chadwick
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matthew 6:11-12 ESV).
Do you ever wonder what it was like to be one of the twelve disciples? Just imagine. They walked and talked with Jesus, learned from his wisdom, and enjoyed his close friendship for three years. They saw him heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. And yet, the only thing these disciples ever asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray. “Lord, teach us to pray,” they pleaded (Luke 11:1).
Jesus responded with a short, power-packed tutorial known as the “Lord’s Prayer” (Luke 11:2-4; Matthew 6:9-13). He shares five tips. “This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed is your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:9-13 NIV).
Most of us can recite these verses from memory. But the Lord’s Prayer is intended to be a “recipe” for balanced prayer. We’re strengthened by its combination of praise, thanksgiving, petition, and confession. But wait. It’s as if Jesus abruptly stops his tutorial and says, “Hey, let’s go over that forgiveness part again.” He circles back with a reminder, this time more of a warning: “For if you forgive other people 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).
Elsewhere, Jesus makes the same connection between prayer and forgiveness: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25). Forgiveness is mentioned over 60 times in the New Testament, two-thirds of those by Jesus himself. He repeatedly points to unforgiveness as a major hindrance to prayer.
If our prayers seem stuck, maybe we should pause and search our hearts. Are we harboring unforgiveness? Some hurts go deep, and forgiveness seems humanly impossible. We can start by asking God to help us. We may find it helpful to reflect on the many ways the Lord has forgiven our own sins. We can ask his Holy Spirit to shine a light on unforgiveness or any other hindrances to our prayers.
Forgiveness is not a one-time exercise. “Seventy times seven” is how many times Jesus told Peter he should forgive the brother or sister who sins against him (Matthew 18:21,22). Why not start at home, by forgiving those closest to us? If we truly want to pray with power, forgiveness needs to become our daily way of life.
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