Forgive them
Mark 11:25 - Forgive them, and mean it in your heart. Forgive them, and receive God’s forgiveness.
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“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 NIV
These words of Jesus are from the Gospel of Mark, and were spoken the day after He had cursed a fig tree for having no fruit, and the tree was found to have withered and died. Jesus was giving His disciples a lesson in the power of faith and prayer, and this same lesson would be repeated just after The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 6:14-15):
“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.”
The point of this lesson is simple in concept, but difficult in practice: forgive before you pray! Holding a grudge against another person or refusing to forgive that person for an actual or perceived fault can impede our prayer. This is a place where great faith is needed.
Just before these words from Jesus, He had just finished telling the disciples “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” (Mark 11:23)
David Guzik of Enduring Word made this comment with reference to this verse:
i. The point may also be that this is an area where we need great faith. Sometimes a hard and unforgiving heart is bigger than any mountain.
Jesus was telling His disciples (remember, that includes us!) that we must put good relationships with people ahead of religious duty. Straighten out those relationships, then continue on in prayer.
Guzik goes on to say:
c. If you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses: The forgiven heart will forgive others. If we have hard, unforgiving hearts, it calls into question if we have ever received or appreciated the forgiveness God offers us.
Still not getting it? Here are some additional commentaries from Precept Austin to throw some light onto what Jesus was teaching us:
Parunak: In prayer we are not demanding what we are owed, but are asking God for a favor; it is inconsistent to do this while we are embroiled in bitterness with our fellow creatures.
J C Ryle: We have no right to look for mercy, if we are not ready to extend mercy to our brethren. We cannot really feel the sinfulness of the sins we ask to have pardoned if we cherish malice towards our fellow men. We must have the heart of a brother toward our neighbor on earth, if we wish God to be our Father in heaven. We must not flatter ourselves that we have the Spirit of adoption if we cannot bear and forbear.
I found a little remedy
To ease the life we live
And make each day a happier one:
It is the word "forgive."
—AnonymousG Campbell Morgan - Whensoever ye stand praying, forgive.—Mark 11.25.
That is a law of prayer. May it not be that much unanswered prayer is the result of forgetting this? Forgetting is the right word. If we remember it, we either cease to pray, or we forgive. It is impossible to pray easily when the heart is hot and angry with someone who has done us wrong. But in the underlying depths of our consciousness there are often feelings toward others which are those of resentment, even though at the moment we are not occupied with them. If it be so, then, according to this word of Jesus we have no right to expect that our Father will forgive us our trespasses. Let us think what it would mean if we always remembered this word. If we did so, our first inquiry whenever we desired to pray would be: Is there any person whom we have not yet forgiven? Of course, the presupposition is that the person has really wronged us in some way. Apart from that there would be nothing to forgive. Is there such a person? Then, before we can pray, we must forgive that person. Then, after we have 'prayed, we shall have to carry out our act of forgiveness by seeking the forgiven person, and establishing the relationship that results from forgiveness. What gracious results would follow in the communion of the saints if this word of Jesus were remembered and obeyed? Love would win wonderful triumphs, and prayer would become powerful and prevailing. (Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible)
Let’s all commit to doing something a bit different with today’s devotional other than promptly forgetting it (don’t feel bad; I’m as guilty of this as anyone!). We all pray (or should be praying), so start off your next prayer by forgiving someone. Perhaps it’s a person who you have harbored bitterness towards for years, or maybe it’s someone who said or did something to you in passing that rubbed you the wrong way. Forgive them, and mean it in your heart. Forgive them, and receive God’s forgiveness.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer comes from Prayerz.org:
Dear Heavenly Father,
As I stand before you in prayer, I ask for your forgiveness for any transgressions I may have committed. I also ask for the strength and grace to forgive those who have wronged me. Help me to let go of any bitterness or resentment in my heart and to extend the same forgiveness that you have shown me. May your love and mercy guide me in all my interactions with others, and may I always strive to be a reflection of your grace and compassion.
In Jesus’ name, I pray,
Amen.