The Terrible Petition

Reflect and pray

Augustine called it the terrible petition: 'Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.' The sermon brought us back to Matthew 6:14-15, where Jesus says that if we do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will our Father forgive ours. Then Matthew 18:35 adds the sobering warning that our heavenly Father will hand the unforgiving servant over to the jailers until he pays all his debt. These are not empty threats designed to scare children. God takes unforgiveness seriously because He takes His family seriously. When you refuse to forgive a brother or sister, you are not merely protecting your own heart; you are mistreating someone whom God has already pardoned at great cost.

For the true believer, this is not a teaching about losing salvation like a wallet slipping out of a pocket. It is a warning about evidence and consequence. If you have been born again, the Spirit will enable you to forgive from the heart. If you persistently refuse, you invite the jailers—divine discipline, estrangement from fellowship, and the terrifying prospect of being handed over until you pay what you can never pay. The sermon reminded us that hell is full of people who think they deserve heaven, while heaven is full of people who know they deserve hell. Honesty about our own infinite debt is the only path to mercy.

Today, pray the Lord's Prayer slowly and out loud if you can. When you reach the line about forgiveness, pause and let it weigh on you. Are you asking God to deal with you the way you are dealing with your offender? If so, drop the debt before the sun goes down. Run to the King who already dropped yours. His mercy is your only hope, and it is more than enough to set both you and your brother free. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Let the Spirit of adoption lead you into the freedom that forgiveness brings, and sleep tonight with a clean heart.