Forgive Us - Attaching to Our Father Through the Lord's Prayer

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us of our debts…’” (Matthew 6:9-12, ESV)

Have you ever been so angry with someone or so upset that someone did something that you carried it around for days, weeks, months, years? Or been so ashamed of something you’ve done that you woke up every day wondering if there’s anything you can do to make it right? The Father grieves when we hurt each other and when we carry lasting shame. These are ruptures in our relationships. And just like we can bring our physical needs to the Father, Jesus also urges us to bring our relational ruptures to the Father. He wants to repair those too!

Jesus is leading us from praying “Give us daily bread that we can hold” into “Forgive us our failures that have a hold on us.”

To forgive is:

• to offer pardon,
• to give up collecting payment, and
• to give away the desire to punish.

When we ask, the Father carries away the ruptures we caused.

He doesn’t hold them over us like an earthly parent who never lets you live down your mistakes. The evil one comes to accuse over and over, but our Father comes to release us from our relational ruptures. Not because they don’t matter but because the repair work has already been done in the work of Jesus.

But sin isn’t just what we have done.

Sin is also what is done to us.

All of us have suffered because of the sins of others. We’ve been lied to, cheated on, stolen from, emotionally manipulated or physically abused.

But our Father, the One-Who-Repairs-Ruptures, invites us to partner with him to repair ruptures. He knows that when we turn the right to get payback over to the same one who doesn’t demand payback from us, that this is the best path toward healing.

Offering forgiveness is not saying something didn’t happen, or that it wasn’t wrong, or that you weren’t hurt by it. Offering forgiveness is not saying that the rupture wasn’t in fact a rupture.

It’s a way of living into the beautiful forgiveness that has been extended toward us. The Father invites us to take a stand and refuse to repay ruptures with more ruptures, to punish ruptures, or to act out our hurt by hurting others.

Offering forgiveness is only possible because our Father is a Father to all of us, sees everything, is bringing new life even when we can’t see it, and is repairing all of our ruptures. Jesus took on all of our ruptures voluntarily so that we could voluntarily turn our ruptures over to him and join the Father in repairing ruptures in all relationships.

So much more could be said, but living in forgiveness is partly how our Father’s kingdom comes, how the family business of love arrives.

AS YOU PRAY…

Today, as you pray the way Jesus taught us, reflect on:

• how your loving Father—who sees and knows all ruptures—is more than willing to forgive (to repair) all the ruptures you have contributed to; and
• how you, even inside your own heart, can release the sinful ruptures committed against you, turning the debts you are owed over to your Father in heaven, who already forgave you.

SCRIPTURE PASSAGES:

• Psalm 51
• John 15:9-17
• Romans 7:21–8:4