How is forgiveness connected with prayer?
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” – Mark 11:25
There are many verses on forgiveness in the New Testament. But as I was memorizing the Gospel of Mark, this one hit me powerfully with its simplicity. Jesus is instructing his apostles on the power of faith expressed in prayer in light of the miraculous cursing of the fig tree. When the apostles, led by Peter, marveled that the fig tree had withered so quickly when Jesus cursed it, Jesus extended the illustration to a broad, even stunning lesson on how powerful faith-filled prayer is: “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:23-24). Mountain-moving faith! Wow, does that challenge me! What am I trusting God for that is so big, only God could do it? What prayer burdens do I lift up continually to God that would change the world if he granted them? I want God to lay those burdens on my heart so I can give them back to him, for “from him, and through him, and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever” (Rom. 11:36)! No such prayer burden should ever originate with my imagination, but it should be revealed to me by his Spirit and his Word.
But my point here is the next statement. Jesus goes immediately to the issue of unforgiveness… bitterness… holding things against people. I was cut to the heart by this. Like most of us, I can struggle with this very issue. I can remember things said or done that have hurt me. And I can easily hold those things against people permanently. Such bitterness actually is a feeling of power over the sinner in which we imagine them paying for the wrongs they’ve done us in countless ways. But such dark imaginations come at a price to our souls. They make us hard, bitter, proud. We forget the vast debt of sin we ourselves have been forgiven by the blood of Christ. And we put ourselves in God’s judgment seat as though he’s invited us to play a role only he can play: Judge of All the Earth. Each dark imagination rooted in unforgiveness wraps another invisible chain around our hearts.
“…as we seek to enter the heavenly throne room and draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need (Heb. 4:16), we must drop all our accusations against other sinners… just let them fall to the ground.”
This simple command from Jesus has the power to cut through all those invisible chains so they drop loosely to the ground! “When you stand praying, if you hold ANYTHING against ANYONE… forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive your sins.” Comprehensive and simple. The image I get in my mind right now comes from the second Lord of the Rings movie— The Two Towers. The entourage of warriors we have been following, Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, are seeking to enter the hall of the King of Rohan. Before they can enter, they must surrender all their weapons. Otherwise, they are not permitted entry. So, it is with us… as we seek to enter the heavenly throne room and draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need (Heb. 4:16), we must drop all our accusations against other sinners… just let them fall to the ground. Actually, this is a great way to begin the prayer time: “Lord, search me and know my heart and show me if I am sinfully bitter against anyone. And with your help I will give up my bitterness right here and now!” What freedom!
