Forgiveness and prayer

Yesterday, my wife and I marvelled as we listened to a woman in a radio interview talk about forgiving a man who attacked her, tied her up, and took her car.

The attacker and robber used her car in a later attempted robbery and was shot by police.  She wanted to let the man know that she forgave him; but police felt it was not wise for her to do that.  She regretted not having the chance to forgive him personally.

Though it is hard to do, forgiveness is freeing.  Often, it is an essential step to emotional, spiritual and physical healing.

It is also vital to effective prayer.

In his fine little book The Most Powerful Prayer on Earth, Peter Horrobin points to Jesus' amazing prayer for his tormentors as he was dying on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

"Not only did Jesus walk in personal forgiveness toward all of those who were the agents of his suffering, but he also asked God to forgive them," Horrobin writes.

It is only in recent years that I have spent time thinking about forgiving others.  Some time ago, I thought about the occasions when I was hurt by others over the years.

I even went back to an incident in elementary school where I was a new boy and one of the class leaders bullied me.  The picture is as clear in my mind today as if it happened yesterday.  I had hung on to this grievance all these years without surrendering it to God and forgiving the boy who ridiculed me.

Wise Christians have said that sometimes we have to forgive someone again and again before the anger and bitterness is finally released.

But we are commanded to forgive.  We need to go before God in prayer and forgive.

Jesus said in the Lord's prayer: "Forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us." (Matthew 6:12)

If we are to be free of the disease of bitterness and anger, we need to forgive those who have hurt us.

The personal benefits of forgiveness can be astonishing.

Horrobin tells the story of a young woman who had been thrown to the ice from a snowmobile in Northern Ontario.  She suffered severe spinal injuries and had spent more than 20 years in pain.  She asked Horrobin for healing prayer and he asked her if she had forgiven the driver of the snowmobile.  She hadn't.

After struggling with this, she came back to Horrobin, saying she had forgiven him.  God's power came upon her and she was healed in minutes.

Forgiveness frees us - and it releases the chains from those we hate.  It glorifies God.