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The Fifth Petition In this request, we pray that God would “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This petition is a frightening thing to pray for, for we are asking God to do to us what we do to others. God does not have to struggle with forgiving us. He freely forgives because of what Christ, our Savior, has done. We, however, do struggle with forgiving others so to connect our forgiving others with God’s forgiving us is indeed terrifying. We need God’s help to let go of the hurts and offenses that we have experienced. We will only be able to forgive if we are confident of God’s fairness and mercy. When we are sure that because of Christ God is at work to give us only good things, we will turn all matters over to Him confident that He will do what is just. If He leads that person to repent and then forgives him, we should rejoice in God’s mercy. If the person refuses to repent and is therefore not forgiven, we cannot stop God from being a just Judge. But our hope is that the person would be lead to repent for we realize we are all in the same boat. We too run the risk of becoming stubborn and refusing to acknowledge that we have sinned. Just as we do not want God to let us turn away from Him so also we do not want others to turn away and discard the marvelous gifts that Christ has won for us. Jesus told a story about a manager of a king’s property who mismanaged his master’s money so badly that he ran up an enormous debt (Matthew 18:21-35). He was forgiven that debt, but he then went out and found a fellow servant who owed him some money and demanded that he pay the debt. The manager who had been forgiven refused to forgive the small debt that was owed him. When the king found out what had happened he had the manager thrown in prison until his debt was paid. This manager acted in a bazaar and impossible way. No one who was forgiven such a debt could acted in this way. Yet there are many who do act this way when it comes to God’s forgiveness. Their failure to forgive others reveals that they do not understand the great debt that they owe God and that they do not understand the great gift that God has given to them in forgiving their sins. What we need most of all is to recognize our need for forgiveness and then to receive the forgiveness that Christ has won for us. Luther reminds us that “we daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment.” He also points out that “we are worthy of none of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them.” The problem is that we do not always believe this. We sometimes slip up and begin to think that our sins are not as bad as the sins of others. And so we sometimes think that we have a right to hold a grudge against those who are less deserving. But when we truly see the seriousness of our sins and rejoice in God’s forgiveness, we willingly let go of the offenses that others have committed against us. When we do this, it is evidence that the Holy Spirit is present and has changed our hearts. This is a source of encouragement for we surely would not be able to do this without God’s help. Sometimes this petition is not a source of encouragement because Christians think that if they struggle with forgiving someone this means God will not forgive them. But it is the refusal to forgive that Jesus warns against. Refusing to forgive someone means that we think we are more deserving of forgiveness. To think this is to discard God’s forgiveness, which is always given to those who are undeserving. When we struggle with forgiving others, this means that the Holy Spirit is still present in us working to change us and we can be sure that we are still Christians. God grant that we would never stubbornly refuse to forgive, but that His Spirit would always lead us to repent of an unforgiving heart and seek His help to let go of past hurts. |
