Thursday, September 5, 2019

praying effectively: Forgive Others in Prayer (Mk.11:25, Lk.23:33-34)



(Mark 11:25)  “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.”

(Luke 23:33-34)  When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:
- that when we are praying, if we have anything against anyone, we need to forgive them;  and it helps that while we are in prayer, we ask God to forgive those people for us (Mk.11:25)
- that Jesus was an example for us, as He was being crucified, mocked and abused, Jesus asked God to forgive those who were persecuting Him (Lk.23:33-34)

Today's prayer: 

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for being our perfect example.  Just as You prayed while hanging on the cross, help us forgive those who persecute us, so that we will not hang on to fear, hate, bitterness or thoughts of revenge.  Whether they apologize or not, whether they deserve it or not, You know that forgiving those who hurt us, will emotionally set us free and allow us to truly love even our enemies.  Thank You for Your love and Your forgiveness.  Amen.

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