Then Peter came up and said to him [Jesus], “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Matt. 18:21-22
Lord Jesus, both joy and knots shape my communion with you this morning. The joy is about the exhaustive forgiveness we have in you; the knots come from the costly implications of that same forgiveness. As I pray for myself, I pray for others with the same calling to love well in messy relationships.
Hearing the name of someone, with whom I’ve shared a lot of life and hurts, was enough to turn my stomach. That run-in was like hitting my already sore knee on the corner of a coffee table. I winced with pain, and (briefly) wished him harm in my heart.
Jesus, I thought I’d already forgiven from my heart. I thought I was already over it. I thought I’d dealt with this thing a long time ago. Out of sight might be out of mind, but betrayal creates a memory of its own.
So I come to you today for seventy-times-seven grace. I’m being held hostage by my own unforgiveness. I humble myself before you, Jesus. Some relationships may never lead to reconciliation, but there’s no justification for tying our repentance to anybody else’s.
We’re to forgive as you’ve forgiven us. It’s as simple and as costly as that. We’re not doormats, but the gospel does call us to be the doorway to stories of redemption. Jesus, you’ve promised us all the wisdom and grace we need. Low-sitting coffee tables can morph into coiled rattlesnakes in time, and the venom of unforgiveness is just too toxic to store on the shelf of our hearts. Untie our heart-knots with your mighty and merciful hands. So very Amen we pray in your liberating and healing name.
