Bible Prayers: forgiveness

Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts

April 2, 2021

Good Friday prayer of Jesus

On Good Friday, Jesus the Son of God nailed our sins to the cross.

Only a few days earlier, throngs of people had sung His praises and thrown down palm branches to ease His ride into Jerusalem. But now, crowds gathered to jeer at Him as He hung between criminals in the worse kind of torture – crucifixion.

Just to breathe, Jesus had to lift Himself up, thrusting His weight into the nails that held His hands against the hard wood while dragging His flesh further into the nails that fastened His feet.

And yet….

As the people railed against Him, hurling every kind of insult, and dogs snapped at His feet, and breathing itself became a torture, Jesus used these final moments to pray His last Amen on our behalf:

Luke 23:34 – a prayer of Jesus
from the King James Version (KJV)

Then said Jesus,

Father,
forgive them;

for they know not
what they do.

Luke 23:34 – a prayer of Jesus
in contemporary English

Father,
forgive them!

They don’t know
what they’re doing.

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019.

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February 26, 2021

Job prays for a referee

Thousands of years ago, people thought terrible hardships meant a person had sinned against an avenging god. Obviously, Job’s friends had been taught to think that way, but Job knew he’d done nothing to disobey God, and he could think of nothing that might even have offended the Lord.

In this prayer, Job longs for a mediator, an advocate, an umpire, a referee – someone to stand between himself and God, interpret as needed, and restore them into fellowship.

Centuries later that Mediator came to earth as our go-between – Jesus Christ, The One Who forgives and forever reunites us with the Almighty God.

Job 9:25-35 – a prayer of Job
in contemporary English

My life sprints by like a runner – so swiftly
it’s hard to catch a glimpse of happiness.
Life vanishes like a speedy little boat made of paper
or like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
If I made up my mind to forget my complaints
and put away a sad face to be cheerful,
I would still shudder with pain.

O, God, I know You’ll never say I’m innocent!
No matter what, I will be found guilty,
so why should I even try?

If I scoured myself with soap
and washed my hands with lye,
You might thrust me into a muddy ditch,
so even my clothes would hate my filth!

God, You’re not a regular person like me,
so how can I argue my case? How can I
take You to trial?

Oh, if only a Mediator stood between us –
someone who could bring us together again.

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

Job 9:25-35 – a prayer of Job
from the King James Version

Now my days are swifter than a post:
they flee away, they see no good.

They are passed away as the swift ships:
as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.
If I say, I will forget my complaint,
I will leave off my heaviness,
and comfort myself: I am afraid
of all my sorrows, I know that thou
wilt not hold me innocent.

If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?

If I wash myself with snow water, and
make my hands never so clean;
Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch,
and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
For he ( God) is not a man, as I am,
that I should answer him, and we should
come together in judgment.
Neither is there any daysman betwixt us,
that might lay his hand upon us both.

From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

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June 1, 2020

Pray for forgiveness, peace, healing!

As riots abound around our country and the world, Pentecost week has come, reminding us of the coming of the Law of Moses to bring God's people together and, centuries later, the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower us as we minister to and build up God's people everywhere. And so, in the Name of the Lord God and all that is Holy, let's do everything we can to communicate God's love:

Let's try to truly hear what others have to say, especially if their lives differ greatly from ours.
Let's aim to identify each problem and look for workable solutions instead of lumping everything into an impassible mountain.
Let's pray together.
Pray with the family of Korah.
Pray for the Lord to remind us, we, too, are One in the Family of God.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring forgiveness, peace, and healing in Jesus’ Name.
Pray for God’s Love to be clearly visible as the banner He places over ALL of His people.

Psalm 60:1-5 – a prayer of the family of Korah from the King James Version of the Bible

O God, thou hast cast us off,

thou hast scattered us, thou hast

been displeased;

O turn thyself to us again.

Thou hast made the earth

to tremble; thou hast broken it:

heal the breaches thereof;

for it shaketh.

Thou hast shewed

thy people hard things:

thou hast made us to drink

the wine of astonishment.

Thou hast given a banner to them

that fear thee, that it may be displayed

because of the truth. Selah.

That thy beloved may be delivered;

save with thy right hand, and hear me.

Psalm 60:1-5 – a prayer of the family of Korah - prayerfully paraphrased into everyday English

O God, have You rejected us?

You have been angry with us

and broken down our defenses.

Restore us now!

You made the land quake

and split open.

Now heal these rifts

before the world falls apart!

You made Your people

quake from hardships

and stagger from the cup

You gave us to drink.

And yet, You have raised a banner

over those who fear You,

so we can rally together

when we’re under attack.

Save us with Your hand of power!

Answer us, so those dear to You

may be delivered into safety.

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May 14, 2020

Praying for mercy

We often equate mercy with clemency and compassion, but God’s mercy offers much more. His mercy offers us forgiveness, redemption, and peace. That’s true for us individually and also for God's family.

We’re all in this together! So let’s pray to receive God’s mercy over us and our country. Let's do all we can to be at peace with God, each other, and ourselves.

Deuteronomy 21:8-9 – a prayer of Moses

from the King James Version of the Bible

Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel,

whom thou hast redeemed,

and lay not innocent blood

unto thy people of Israel's charge.

And the blood shall be forgiven them.

So shalt thou put away the guilt

of innocent blood from among you,

when thou shalt do that which is right

in the sight of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 21:8 – a prayer of Moses

paraphrased into everyday language

Lord, You freed us!

Now please

make peace with us.

Don’t let the guilt

of unsolved offenses

reside with Your people.

Give us peace, Lord.

Give us peace.

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April 1, 2020

Praying for pardon

We’ve heard about the “sins of the fathers” being “revisited upon the children,” but God said – whether child or parent – each of us carries responsibility for own actions. That’s true, of course, since God said so! But it primarily refers to punishment such as fines or jail time.

Bad decisions and unhealthy lifestyles today can, and most likely will, affect even a great-grandchild. For example, they might eat the nutrition-less foods they had growing up. Or they might do drugs because their grandmother did. They might not be taught social skills or the godly standards expressed in God’s word.

As one generation passes poor choices onto another generation who doesn’t know they even have choices, the chain continues – unless we seek God’s power in our lives and those of our ancestors and offspring for generations gone and to come.

That’s what Moses did. As the mediator between God and God’s people who had been enslaved for hundreds of years, Moses pleaded for this visitation of sin to cease.

Numbers 14:17-19 – a prayer of Moses

And now, I beseech thee,

let the power of my lord be great,

according as thou hast spoken, saying,

The Lord is longsuffering,

and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity

and transgression, and by no means

clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity

of the fathers upon the children

unto the third and fourth generation.

Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity

of this people according unto the greatness

of thy mercy, and as thou hast

forgiven this people, from Egypt

even until now.

Numbers 14:17-19 – a prayer of Moses

Lord, I need evidence of Your power!

You said You’re slow to anger

and filled with unfailing love,

forgiving all sorts of sin and rebellion,

yet not excusing the guilty.

Indeed, when parents sin, their choices

and actions affect other people–

even a great-great-grandchild!

But please pardon us, Lord!

Please keep on parenting us

with Your glorious love.

May God forgive us our sins and break any chains of bad inheritance, traumas suffered, or “bad blood” between us and others affecting us, our families, and our countries in Jesus’ Name.

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January 10, 2020

Jacob prays for a blessing

After being away for a couple of decades, Jacob heads home with two companies of peoples and a massive amount of livestock. Clearly, God has blessed him! So why does he pray to be blessed?

Genesis 32:26 – a prayer of Jacob

And he (a man of God or angel)said,

Let me go,

for the day breaketh.

And he (Jacob) said,

I will not let thee go,

except thou bless me.

Genesis 32:26 – a prayer of Jacob

Lord, I will

not let

You go

until

You bless me!

Jacob had already prayed for deliverance from his brother Esau and sent over 500 animals ahead as a peace offering. He remained behind with his family and servants, but sometime during the night, he arose, divided the people into two groups as a safety precaution, and sent them on ahead. He would have been all alone – except for the Angel of God with whom he wrestled.

As day began to break, the Angel insisted Jacob let him go, but Jacob refused until he received a blessing. Obviously, this was no request for material goods or riches. Nor did the prayer repeat a desire for God to be with him since the Lord already was! Jacob had God’s presence, protection, and power, but a blessing can also mean permission, approval, or anointing.

On that night, God bestowed every aspect of blessing, including forgiveness, as He changed Jacob’s name (one who supplants or displaces) to Israel – one who triumphs with God.

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April 21, 2015

Turning stones into prayer

Acts 7:59-60

As they kept stoning Stephen,
he called out, “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.

Then he dropped to his knees,
crying loudly,
“Lord, do not hold this sin
against them.”

Having said this,
he slipped into sleep.

© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Acts from several of the many translations on Bible Gateway. For a longer version of this episode, read “Stephen prays for his murderers.”

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