James, in his letter to the twelve tribes, those still practicing Jewish laws, which were scattered abroad, urged them to pray for one another. He says that the prayer of believing shall save the sick. To save the sick literally means to save from death and judgment and bring in all positive blessing in place of condemnation. The sick here are not sick as in diseased, but actually more weary and tired, sick and tired so to say. And if he, the one who is weary has committed some sins, those sins shall be forgiven. Be forgiven by whom? Since they shall, absolutely be forgiven then they are forgiven by God. But we are to do the same. James says confess your faults one to another. Acknowledge your transgressions to another. Not to everyone but to that one person to whom the fault occurred. Reason being? That YOU may be healed. 2 Cor. 2:10-11 If you forgive someone, so do I. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did in the presence of Christ for your benefit. I don't want Satan to outwit us. After all, we are not ignorant about Satan's scheming.
Have you ever had someone hurt you so badly that you thought you would never forgive them for what they did to you? Let alone, begin praying for that person. In your mind, that person did not deserve to be forgiven or prayed for. Have you ever felt that if you did forgive them, it would be like letting them off the hook for what they did? Or worse yet, if you prayed for them, something good may come their way? We have all experienced hurt to one degree or another. And, it seems that the deeper the hurt, the harder it is to forgive. Some people feel that by not forgiving they are actually hurting the wrong doer. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Who really pays the price ? The person who chooses to hold on to the anger, hurt and bitterness is the one paying the price. In fact, holding on to all of the hurt and not forgiving, actually gives the one who did the hurting power over the one they hurt. In other words, by not forgiving, you are choosing to continue to give that person power over you. Carrying the hurt is not only harmful to you mentally, but it is also detrimental to your physical body. A number of medical studies show a connection between unresolved anger and physical illness. The holistic approach to patient care acknowledges and addresses the mind-body connection. The Bible tells us that “a merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” It talks about not going to sleep angry. It also discusses heaviness of the heart and sorrow of the heart in contrast to being glad and merry.
Why is it sometimes hard to forgive? Many times we are unwilling to forgive because we feel that in doing so it excuses the hurtful deed. But forgiving someone does not in any way mean that what they did wasn't wrong. Forgiving also has a responsibility attached to make sure that the forgiveness is sincere. To forgive, you must return that person to the position he or she held in your mind and heart before the wrong happened. Forgive and forget. Willie Nelson sings that forgiving is easy, it's the forgetting that is hard. Every time we bring the hurtful deed back to the surface, our heart begins to ache all over again. That is Satan's way of keeping the wrong doing alive even though it died a long time ago.
A great key in learning to forgive others is to remember that God has forgiven you. Forgiveness from God means that there is no payment needed for your infraction. Your wrong doing has been remitted. However, many times people know that God has forgiven them, but they fail to forgive themselves. In not forgiving ourselves, we really aren't accepting God’s forgiveness. And, as a result, we end up carrying guilt and condemnation. Now everyone knows that no one’s perfect. We all make mistakes. Therefore, we all need forgiveness. And God has lovingly provided this forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ who paid the price for our sins. Not accepting God’s forgiveness communicates that the price that has already been paid was not enough. It would be like you owing a thousand dollars and someone paid that debt for you, but you still feeling like you still owe the money. When it comes to God forgiving you, the price has been paid in full.
The Bible talks about being imitators of God as “His dear children.” Therefore, I can forgive others not because I am supposed to, but because of who I am. I am His child, and He said to imitate His love. So then, first of all, I forgive others because of who I am. I am His child. I am loved. I am forgiven. Therefore, you forgive others because of who you are. You are His child. You are loved. You are forgiven.
So, first, forgive others because of who you are. Secondly, forgiving others gives you freedom. Living with anger, bitterness and hurt holds you captive. So many times, those who have hurt you have moved on; they no longer even think about it. Yet you are being held captive by your own thoughts and emotions. Release your anger, bitterness and hurt. Choose to hold thoughts of “no payment due.” Remember, you are not saying that what they did was right; you are simply excusing them from paying for it. And thirdly, remember that the Bible says that we are to forgive others even as we ourselves have been forgiven. God has never said to you that what you did was so bad that He was not going to forgive you. The Scriptures say that if we ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive us.
Consider this one other point. Jesus Christ was illegally arrested, falsely accused, subjected to a mock trial, savagely beaten and tortured, and, nailed to the cross. We can only imagine the physical pain he endured. But what about the pain of being rejected? He was the long awaited Messiah. The religious leaders did not welcome him with open arms. Instead they challenged him at every turn, and eventually engineered his arrest and execution. Even those who followed Him throughout His ministry ran away and denied Him. If anyone ever had the right to not forgive it was Jesus. And yet, at that moment of pain and suffering, hanging there in shame and humiliation, being mocked and reviled by almost everyone, he uttered those words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. That was Jesus's prayer to God, His Father. Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves; if your brother trespass against you, rebuke him, (tell him) and if he repents, forgive him. But what if he doesn't repent? Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Living right with God is a choice. Forgiving others is a choice. It starts with accepting God’s forgiveness for what we have done, and then you in turn forgiving yourself. Then you can choose to forgive and pray others, which is a very wise and sound choice.