THE UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM: A 7 - Day Disovery of How God's Patterns for Living Turn Our Lives the Right Way Up by Youth Alive AusНамуна

FORGIVE THOSE WHO HURT YOU

Has anyone ever hurt you so badly, you don’t think you could ever find it in yourself to forgive them? I know exactly how you feel. I like to live my life playing by the rules. In my perfect world, I want blessings for those who keep the rules and correction for those who break them. Except in real life, this doesn’t happen. Somebody hurt me and betrayed me so deeply recently that it took my breath away. If I am honest, forgiving them kind of feels like they are being let off the hook.

In Matthew 8:21-22 (NIV), Peter asks Jesus how many times he must forgive someone, suggesting 7 times. But then Jesus answers, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’

Peter uses the number 7 because in Hebrew, it represents completeness, like how the world was completed in 7 days. Jesus then uses a Jewish practice of exaggerating numbers to convey a boundless concept. If we put those two concepts together, Jesus is saying to Peter, I want you to forgive over and over and over, until the process is complete.

Jesus understands that forgiving someone who has deeply wounded us doesn’t happen in an instant. It takes time because while we might find it easier to forgive the facts of what they did, it takes our hearts a little while to forgive the impact. Jesus' command to forgive is not cruel - it’s our pathway to healing. Look out soon for another plan where we can talk about this more, but for now, it’s enough to know that Jesus understands and will help us because He loves us more than we can imagine.

PRAYER

Dear Jesus,

When I have been wounded so deeply, I find it hard to forgive. I want to do what you ask because I know it’s for my good, but I need your help. I release the person who hurt me into your hands. Please give me the strength to start the process of forgiveness.

Amen