Forgiving Others: Prayer Steps

This morning when I shared the message Faith to Forgive, I said that I would post some “prayer steps” so you can continue praying your way through the process of forgiving another.  Here they are.

Forgiving Others: Prayer Steps

1. Ask God to reveal to you where it is you have been hurt. Sometimes we are very clear as to where we have been hurt. Other times we aren’t so sure. We’re unaware of some of the spiritual and emotional wounds that are eating away at us.  Ask God to show you those wounded places.  
2. Pour out your heart to God, telling Him what you’re feeling. As you recall those wounded places that have not healed, emotions will rise to the surface - maybe anger, regret, discouragement, fear, guilt, bitterness, sorrow, and/or others. Name your feelings as you talk to God about them.
3. Express to God your willingness to forgive and then confess to Him any unforgiveness. Name the person who has hurt you in word, deed, or attitude, and express to God that you have come before Him to forgive that person. Remember, forgiveness does not mean making excuses for the person. It does not mean pretending that they have not hurt you. The person has cost you and owes you a real debt. Forgiveness involves acknowledging what this person has cost you, and casting that cost onto God.  Forgiveness also involves expressing to God a desire to forgive the person.
4. Ask God to forgive the person. This is not about a feeling. This is a choice and a decision to petition God for this person’s forgiveness.
5. Ask God to shed His light into the person’s heart, to draw the person to Himself, and to make Himself known to that person.  If the person has sinned against you and is indifferent to it, that person really is without the light of Christ. That is someone who desperately needs God’s transformative presence. Pray for that person.
6. Ask God to forgive you.  Ask Him to forgive you for holding on to any bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, and hatred. Ask Him to forgive you for retaliating, or gossiping, or anything you may have done to not reflect His light into the situation. Also ask Him to forgive you for not trusting Him that He will heal you, restore you, and bless you through this situation.
7. Ask the Holy Spirit to heal you; ask Him to heal your wounded spirit.

Pray this through as many times as you need to on your journey of forgiving another … even if you need to pray  seventy times seven.