13 Powerful Ways to Pray by Eamon Tobin

Author:Eamon Tobin [Tobin, Eamon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: -
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2016-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

THREE PRAYER SUGGESTIONS

The following are three suggestions on how to use prayer to move from a deep hurt in our lives to a place of forgiveness.

Suggestion #1. Praying for a desire to forgive. When someone has hurt us deeply, we may have little or no desire to forgive. Rather, we may be so angry that we are consumed with getting even. When we feel this way, we may want to use the following prayer or one like it.

Jesus, you know how much I despise N and how I have absolutely no desire to forgive him. In fact, my only desire is to get even with him/her. Yet, I also know that continuing to rage against this person is no good for my body, mind, or spirit and is certainly contrary to your word which calls us to forgive life’s hurts. So I humbly ask you to do for me what I cannot do for myself. Place in my heart a desire to forgive this person for the sake of my own well-being and for the sake of my relationship with you.

We may have to say that prayer fervently many times before we notice any desire to work through our hurt and anger. Just as physical therapy takes time, so it is with spiritual therapy. We have to stretch ourselves a lot emotionally and spiritually if we want God to melt a heart that is hardened. This may be the toughest step in the entire process. Many people choose not to even pray for the desire to forgive.

Suggestion #2. Prayer of repentance. When a hurt occurs, it is rare that we are totally free of all wrongdoing. We may be guilty of talking about our offender in an un-Christian way. This step in the forgiveness process is very important because it calls us to stop focusing on the sin of our offender and to start owning our own sin. A helpful prayer at this stage may be the following:

Jesus, as you know, I have no problem focusing on the wrong that N has done to me, but I am reluctant to admit the wrong I may have done before, during, or after this hurt occurred. Please help me to have the courage to name my wrongdoing and forgive me for my sins in this relationship.

Suggestion #3. Prayer for the offender. I have personally found that the decision to begin to pray for an offender can be very helpful in the forgiveness process. It is always helpful to keep in mind that people hurt us or fail us not because they are evil monsters, but because they, like us, are imperfect, wounded, and sinful people. Just as we often need God’s mercy and the mercy of others, we need to be ready, with God’s grace, to share his mercy with others. A helpful prayer at this time may be the following:

Lord, you created N wonderfully just as you created me. You love this person just as you love me—with all my faults and weaknesses.

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