And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. ~ Mark 11:25
Mark Chapter 11 opens with the beginning of Passion Week as Jesus makes his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which is followed by the cleansing of the Temple in this gospel account. Lest we forget, Jesus reminds us the Temple is a house of prayer.
Journeying through this chapter, Jesus circles back to prayer. The principles of prayer are outlined by Jesus and they include faith, belief, and finally in verse 25, forgiveness.
Prayer and forgiveness are tied together in the Kingdom of God. Prayer is our time to seek forgiveness for our wrongs and yet we must also forgive. The forgiven must also forgive.
It is a work of the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins and this often happens as we raise our voices with prayer petitions to the Father. It is his kindness that leads us to repentance (Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Romans 2:4). Our sin is against God according to David (Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord. 2 Samuel 12:13). Our forgiveness is from the Lord.
As the Lord graciously forgives us, how can we not do the same? Is forgiving others always easy? It is not always easy and the depth of sin can sometimes make it more difficult, yet the Lord has given us the power to forgive through faith and belief in him and his work on the cross. He provided the way and Jesus’ death and resurrection is the proof. It’s the gospel and the center of the gospel is forgiveness.
Sometimes a reminder of what it really looks like to forgive helps us forgive. In the book by Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place, Corrie shares how she endures unimaginable suffering accompanied by tremendous loss during the ravages of WWII in The Netherlands. The Dutch were overrun by the Nazis and many found themselves carted off to a concentration camp.
This was the story of the ten Booms. Corrie lost her sister Betsy and her father at the hands of the Nazis. Yet, she survived and that survival provided her a platform to share all the Lord had done. But one day she came face to face with a cruel prison guard. He had begun to follow Jesus. Corrie remembered him and his actions. It was a moment of crisis. What to do?
In a moment of silent prayer, she extended her hand and the Lord provided the grace to forgive. Her prayer was answered and she forgave. It is surely not unreasonable that forgiveness in that moment was difficult, but necessary in a walk of obedience.
As you fold your hands and bow your head in prayer, is there someone you can identify to forgive?
Blessings to you ~ Carrie
Leslie Susan Clingan says
What a delight to find a blog post from you. Hope you are easing back into blogging more regularly. I am having such technical problems with my blog that I can never be sure if I will be able to publish or even save a post. Very frustrating.
I think we all have people in our lives, people who have crossed our paths that we need to forgive or at least set aside so they no longer have power over us. I would like to think I have forgiven my exhusbands and they have forgiven me. But there is still a lot of sadness associated with them. So, even though I think I have moved beyond holding grudges, there are difficult emotions that swirl around them.
You are a wise woman with much insight and such a sweet spirit. Hope all is well in your world right now.
Carrie says
Hi Leslie! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading this post. It is a hard balance to keep my blog going. I don’t want to let go and yet I find it hard to keep up with it. Too many things I want to accomplish – health coaching/blogging/leading an online Bible study, etc. So many goals…
It is hard to forgive, but I believe your sweet heart has forgiven and moved into a place where the Lord has given you freedom. Keep on that path, there is life there. 🙂
Love ya, friend!
Carrie