by David Chadwick
We are learning how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is Jesus’s recipe for prayer. Each line is another key I want to give you to unlock another spiritual door of understanding.
Today’s key is this: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”
In order for prayer to be powerful, we must forgive. It is not optional. Chances are, if you have lived any amount of life, you see why Jesus included this as a regular part of your time in prayer. Unforgiveness can easily make our hearts bitter and not loving. This bitterness affects our prayers from being answered, according to Jesus.
We live in a broken world. We will be hurt and tempted to become offended and bitter. Jesus knows what bitterness will do to the human heart so he instructs his followers to repent and release offenses daily.
Forgiveness begins with going back to the Cross. The Cross represents God’s forgiveness of our $1 billion debt to God. A deep and profound understanding of just how much he forgave us is the necessary beginning point for us to freely forgive the comparatively $10 debt someone else may owe us.
If we don’t forgive, it blocks God’s power to answer our prayers. This is a clear teaching from Jesus. The stagnate place of our unforgiveness allows bitterness to fester and take root, leaving us vulnerable to the enemy’s tactics.
A lack of forgiveness is like a dam built up to hold back a flowing body of water. It stops movement. It stops progress. It stops the flow of God in and through us.
Spend some time today thinking about who has hurt you. If you need to write down their names one by one, do so. Tell the Father how they hurt you and then forgive each one of them. Give them to God. Both for their sake and for your sake. Forgiveness sets you free! And it allows God’s power to move through you freely, without limitation.
If you have never practiced forgiveness before, try it. God wants you to be without offense in order to be free to serve others. Without any burdens and with a joyful heart.
And then see if your prayers aren’t more quickly and ably answered by Daddy in heaven.