THE LORD’S PRAYER
PART 4
He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. 1 John 1:9
The story is told of a husband and wife who were married for ten years. During that time minor irritations sometimes grew into major arguments. In hopes of solving this nagging problem, the wife suggested that each take a box and label it “Fault Box.” Each time one would upset the other, a slip was added to the box. At the end of the month, they would compare complaints. During the 30 days, the wife was diligent in adding slips to her box: “didn’t put the lid on the jelly jar,” “left his dirty socks on the floor again,” “forgot to put gas in the car.” By the end of the month, her box was filled with complaints. Finally, the two boxes were opened. First the wife pulled out her complaints slip by slip. When she was done, the husband opened his box filled with slips. But in his box each slip had the same words: “I forgive you,” “I forgive you,” “I forgive you.”
Forgiveness is an important part in the lives of God’s people. That’s why Jesus stresses it in his prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses (debts) as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Notice that first we ask God to “forgive us our sins.” And what a long list that is! Can we imagine how many sins we add to that list daily? And that not only includes things we should not have done but also those things we didn’t do that we should have. As the psalm writer says, “If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, LORD, who could stand?” (Ps. 130:3). But thanks to Jesus’ death on a cross, our sins have been forgiven, all of them. God will never look on them again. The slate is wiped clean.
Jesus didn’t stop there in his prayer; he also added, “As we forgive those who sin against us.” How many times should that be? When Peter suggested seven times, Jesus promptly told him there is to be no limit to the number of times. Forgiving others is necessary for our own prayers to be heard. Jesus went on to say, “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). Forgiveness for ourselves and others is a foundation of Christianity. What a lesson in forgiveness we learn every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer!
How should the realization that our sins are forgiven reflect on our daily lives?
From The Gift of Prayer