Tuesday - Pray Like This

Welcome to Daily Prayer. Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have

forgiven our debtors.” The two parts of this prayer cannot be separated. We ask God for

forgiveness while recognizing that his mercy must also flow through us.

Today, we will consider the connection between receiving forgiveness and offering it to others.

Word of Encouragement

In Matthew 18, Jesus told the story of a servant whose enormous debt was completely

canceled by his king. But after receiving mercy, that servant found another man who owed

him a much smaller amount. Instead of extending compassion, he demanded payment and

had the man imprisoned. The servant wanted to receive mercy without becoming merciful.

We can fall into the same contradiction. We may celebrate the grace God has shown us

while continuing to hold someone else’s failures over that person’s head. Jesus is not

teaching that we earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving others. Forgiveness cannot be earned.

He is teaching that people who truly understand mercy will increasingly become merciful.

We forgive because we have been forgiven. We release others because Christ has released

us. The grace that comes to us must also begin flowing through us.

Prayer of Reflection

Father, help me examine whether I have received your mercy without extending mercy to

someone else. Bring to mind any person whose offense I continue to rehearse. Reveal any

debt I am still demanding, any failure I continue to hold over someone, or any wound I use as

permission to remain bitter. Forgive me for the times I have wanted grace for myself and

justice without mercy for another person. I confess that I often judge someone else by that

person’s worst moment while asking you to see me through the righteousness of Christ. I

remember the ways I have failed, wounded others, spoken carelessly, acted selfishly, and

needed forgiveness.

Soften my heart. Do not allow familiarity with grace to make me careless or entitled. Help me understand the magnitude of the debt you canceled for me.

Let the mercy I have received become the measure of the mercy I offer. Show me whether my

refusal to forgive is revealing pride, self-righteousness, fear, or a desire for revenge.

Lead me into honest repentance and deeper freedom.

Prayer of Praise

Father, I praise you because your mercy is abundant and undeserved. You did not treat me

according to my sins or repay me according to my failures. You showed compassion when I

deserved judgment. You welcomed me when I had no righteousness of my own. I praise you

because your forgiveness is not reluctant. You do not force me to beg for scraps of grace.

Through Jesus, you invite me to come boldly before your throne and receive mercy in my

time of need.

Thank you for being patient with my weakness. Thank you for forgiving

repeated failures and continuing to transform my heart. I praise you because your mercy

does not leave me unchanged. Your grace teaches me to become gracious. Your kindnessleads me to repentance. Your forgiveness creates in me the ability to forgive. You are

compassionate, patient, and rich in faithful love. There is no shortage in your supply of grace.

Let my life become a testimony to the mercy I have received from you.

Prayer of Surrender

Father, I surrender my right to withhold mercy from the people who have hurt me.

I release the belief that another person must deserve forgiveness before I can offer it. I did

not deserve the forgiveness you gave me. I surrender my desire to make someone suffer

emotionally until I feel satisfied. I give up the role of judge, jury, and executioner. Justice

belongs to you, and you see every part of the story with perfect clarity.

Help me forgive as an act of obedience, even when my emotions have not yet caught up with my decision. I

surrender the debt I have been carrying. I choose to stop demanding that the past be

changed or that another person somehow repay what cannot be repaid. Give me grace to

repeat this surrender whenever the memory returns. Keep me from using the offense as a

weapon in future conversations. Let the mercy of Jesus flow through my thoughts, my

words, my prayers, and my treatment of the person who wounded me.

Closing Prayer

During these last few moments, ask God to bring one person clearly to your mind.

Then pray, “Because I have been forgiven by Jesus, I now choose to release this person from the debt I

have been holding."