Prayer to forgive others when they are sorry
By Chris Aite
Bible Reading:
“But he still had a long way to go, but his father saw him and was full of compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arm around him and kissed him.” – Luke 15:20
Listen or read:
Most of us are familiar with the story of the son of the serpent. How a son’s rebel goes abroad and how he wastes his father’s money. He then returns and asks for forgiveness, and he is once again easily accepted by his father. We are told what my son did abroad with wild parties and easy life. But we are not given much details from Jesus about the Father in the terrible times when his children rebelled. That’s a simple reason: he’s waiting. The father is at his house, giving his time to his son, watching his time. His eyes, hopefully, every day, look for the horizon. He knows his son is sorry at the time. However, his father believes that his boy will return to him. The situation hurts badly, but he chose faith rather than despair. And one day, for a long time, the young man returns home again.
It is a useful illustration for us who want our loved ones to turn around and walk in the right direction again. It’s not a quick process, it can take years to wait for others to come to your senses. Sometimes they do not, and the problem proceeds to eternal judgment by the living God. Yet we are forced to forgive through the love of Christ. It is hard to suffer the wounds of forgiveness of someone who is not interested in being forgiven. If they are still alive, there is hope of repentance. With God’s strength, we can be given the gift of patience for the turnaround. Every day, weekly, monthly, monthly, and yearly – no matter how long it takes. We must follow the example of our Heavenly Father and wait patiently. We continue our daily lives, but our eyes know the horizon, like our father with the son of the prodig.
And who knows? Let’s believe that one day our patience will be rewarded. And others who have been very deeply offended will go home. On the other hand, we are responsible for purifying our minds in the Holy Spirit. (As many times as necessary) says, “By God’s strength, I will forgive you.” We always look to the example of the Messiah. “… a man of suffering, and he was dejected by a man of pain-savvy and mankind who was familiar with the pain” (Isaiah 53:3).
Pastor Anthony Thompson chose to forgive his wife Myra’s racist murderer. She led Bible studies at Emmanuel African Methodist Anglican Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015. At a later court hearing, Pastor Thompson was challenged by God to forgive the unrepentant neo-Nazis. He looked at the young man and said, “Son, I will forgive you. My family will forgive you.” Where did the church pastor find such courageous power to forgive this murderer? Pastor Thompson told the Prime Minister of Christianity:
“Forgiveness is a choice, and when we choose to forgive, we allow God to conduct the examination. The Bible says that we will not vengeance, so we ask him to take over. Bible forgiveness follows prayer for criminals. In my case, it was God’s intervention.
We must never forget that God not only sees pain, but is personally familiar with it. He knows more than anyone else the pain involved in providing forgiveness to those who are sorry. No one has ever had the experience of offering pardon to the wrongdoer than the Lord. No one justifies judgment as much as his father, but he offers forgiveness. And we must obey.
God’s love is our strength against these difficulties. “Love is patient, love is kind. It is vy no desire, not proud. It does not dishonor other people. It is not self-exploration, but does not easily anger. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Forgiveness when others are sorry is certainly challenging, but Jesus Christ calls us to be patient at all times. Remember, through the guidance of our wise counselor, the Holy Spirit, there is nothing impossible. The story of Pastor Anthony Thompson really shows that. Don’t give up on the situation!
Let’s pray:
God’s Father,
This hurts, but you understand. I pray for them, in your strength I forgive them, and I trust you that you are all possible. You are the truth, so you convict them the truth. Congratulate this day and help them rely on you in this situation. Cleanse my own mind that I may represent you and become your love channel. I confess myself to you and thank you for taking all my sins to yourself on the cross. Sin was brought to Jesus, not partially, but in whole. I hope this situation will improve and there will be blessings in this relationship. I look at the horizon for them to come back, and I will put my trust in you.
In your holy name. Amen!
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Kieferpix
Christopher Aite lives with his three children in Swansea, Wales, England, with his wife, Serene. He has worked as a journalist for many years, and his own blog (hislovefrees.life) writes about encouraging others on a walk with Jesus. After a friend explained the incredible grace of God, he became a Christian in February 2002!
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