How to Pray-Part 4
Matthew 6:12
Just as God forgives you for "hurting" Him by sinning, so He desires for you to forgive others who hurt you.
Andrew Murray wasn't just another pastor in the 1800s. While many preachers focused on the needs in their countries, Murray looked to the needs of other countries. Born in South Africa, Murray had a deep appreciation for missions work in foreign countries. He considered missions to be the "chief end of the church." While his life was spent promoting missions and urging others to consider missions, he learned a valuable lesson. As is seen in many of his writings, Murray realized the importance of forgiveness in the life of a believer. Consider the following prayer he penned:
To forgive like thee, blessed Son of God! I take this as the law of my life. Thou who hast given the command, givest also the power. Thou who hadst love enough to forgive me, wilt also fill me with love and teach me to forgive others. Thou who didst give me the first blessings, in the joy of having my sins forgiven, wilt surely give me the second blessing, and deeper joy of forgiving others as Thou hast forgiven me. Oh, fill me with the faith in the power of Thy love in me, to make me like Thyself, to enable me to forgive the seventy times seven, and so to love and bless all around me.
O My Jesus, Thy example is my law: I must be like Thee. And Thy example is my Gospel too. I can be as thou art. Thou art at once my law and my life. What Thou demandest of me by Thy example, Thou workest in me by Thy life. I shall forgive like Thee.
Lord, only lead me deeper into my dependence on Thee, into all sufficiency of Thy grace and the blessed keeping which comes from Thy indwelling. Then shall I believe and prove the all-prevailing power of love. I shall forgive even as Christ has forgiven me. Amen
Perhaps one of the Christian's greatest needs each day is forgiveness. Forgiveness from God, forgiveness from others, and the grace to forgive others are needs we face every day. As Jesus continues to describe a pattern for prayer, He includes a petition for forgiveness.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Forgiveness from God. Every day we struggle with sin. Christianity doesn't make any of us perfect, but in fact causes a greater struggle with the devil. As we live our human lives, times of failure and sinning will occur. Jesus shows that in order to keep a pure heart, we are to daily seek His forgiveness for any sins we've committed.
Forgiveness for others. We live in a fragile world. Egos are bruised easily, feelings are hurt by offhand comments, and friendships can crumble at the wrong word. Many times we are on the receiving end of the offense. We are wronged, mistreated, or judged unfairly. Yet Jesus tells us to "forgive our debtors."
You won't feel like forgiving the person who just slandered your name. You won't be incline to forgive the person who dealt you an unfair hand. You won't want to forgive the person who wronged you. But Jesus shows that your forgiveness of those who forgive you isn't based on your feelings, but on God's forgiveness of your sins. Just as God forgives you for "hurting" Him by sinning, so He desires for you to forgive others who hurt you.
Is forgiveness part of your everyday prayer life? Many times Christians beg for God's forgiveness yet fail to extend that same forgiveness to those who hurt them. The next time someone offends you, remember Jesus' cry for forgiveness on the Cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
Daily Bible Reading
2 Kings 1-3 | Luke 24:1-35
No comments:
Post a Comment