THURSDAY

Matthew 6:5-15

“And when you pray . . .” Jesus says, as He teaches about how we approach prayer. Listening to the way we, or others, pray can reveal a lot. Prayer is not about being impressive, eloquent, or noticed; it is about the genuineness of who we are before God. As Jesus describes what genuine prayer looks like, He turns to forgiveness in verse 12: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Jesus teaches us not only to ask for forgiveness, but to consider the posture from which we ask. Our prayer for forgiveness assumes a life already shaped by forgiving others. This does not mean we must feel finished with forgiveness before coming to God. Often, we come precisely because we need help forgiving. But Jesus reminds us that forgiveness f lows out of grace already received. Because God has extended grace to us, that grace begins to overflow into how we relate to others. We seek forgiveness not because forgiving others earns us anything, but because we already know we have been embraced by grace. We have let go of our own kingdoms to receive God’s. We have acknowledged that even our daily bread is a gift from Him. Prayer, then, is not a way to get what we need; it is how we speak with God in gratitude and celebration for what we have already received. And it is within this context that we are invited to celebrate forgiveness.

• Do you tend to think about forgiveness as something that is more transactional in nature (you do this and I’ll do that), or something that is more relational in nature (this is how we will relate to each other in response to God’s grace)? Why does the posture we assume matter?

• How does the posture we take when asking for forgiveness change the way we experience our relationship with God?

• How does the posture we take when asking for or extending forgiveness change the way we experience our relationships with each other?

• What do you think God wants us to grasp the most about how God wants us to experience forgiveness?

Take a few moments to share with God in prayer what is on your heart as you reflect on today’s devotional.