GRACE-FILLED PRAYER

GRACE-FILLED PRAYER

Matthew 6:5-15 (v.12)

Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI

October 7, 2007

We come this morning to a part of the Lord’s Prayer that is unquestionably difficult and challenging. This part speaks not only of how we pray, but also of how we live. So-called spiritual disciplines like prayer are, after all, never to be seen as nicely tucked-away exercises that have little to do with the ebb and flow of daily life. This part of Jesus’ model prayer teaches us that the more we experience the grace of God in Christ, our prayers become more and more grace-filled, and then our lives become more grace-filled in terms of our relationships with others.

GRACE-FILLED PRAYER,

OF COURSE,

ALWAYS BEGINS WITH THE RECOGNITION

OF GOD’S GRACE TOWARD US.

This, then, is how you should pray:

“Forgive us our debts …”

Jesus teaches us in these words that our prayers should be realistic in who we are before the Face of God. As Christians, we are able to rejoice in God’s unmerited favor toward us in Christ. By trusting in Christ wholeheartedly, we experience the great exchange: in place of our guilt – His forgiveness; in place of our moral corruption – His righteousness; in place of our just sentence – His sacrifice; in place of the penalty of death – the gift of life eternal.

But the truth of the matter is that we are not entirely done with sin the moment we trust – even wholeheartedly – in Christ. Impressive saints of old like David or Paul remind us that in fact, we are not the morally and spiritually pure people we so often claim to be or even hope to be. Even the acts or words that are applauded by others can be at times tainted with indecent thoughts, or selfish desires, half-hearted effort, stunted faith, and none of it done for the glory of God.

So, it is as John, one of Jesus’ disciples, wrote to Christians and to us, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.[i]

Every time we go to the Lord in prayer, we ought to be mindful of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, the grace that enables us to become children of God to a heavenly Father. But just as with earthly parents, that bond of closeness and intimacy can be hampered and obstructed by our disobedience. It is then that same grace that enables us to know that we can then come to Him asking for forgiveness, without having the fear of ever losing His love.

In a time of prayer, Brennan Manning was thinking of his own sins and failures. One can be overcome by that nagging sense of guilt, and it seems that this was true of him that day. While not dismissing the reality of his sin and the need for forgiveness, the Lord Jesus spoke to him quietly in saying this:

Little brother, I witnessed a Peter who claimed that he did not know Me, a James who wanted power in return for service to the kingdom, a Philip who failed to see the Father in Me, and scores of disciples who were convinced I was finished on Calvary. The New Testament has many examples of men and women who started out well and then faltered along the way. Yet on Easter night I appeared to Peter. James is not remembered for his ambition but for the sacrifice of his life for Me. Philip did see the Father in Me when I pointed the way, and the disciples who despaired had enough courage to recognize Me when we broke bread at the end of the road to Emmaus. My point, little brother, is this: I expect more failure from you than you expect from yourself.” [ii]

Can you hear the Lord saying this to you, “little brother” or “little sister”? Can you hear Him saying to you: “I expect more failure from you than you expect from yourself”? Grace-filled prayer means always taking accountability for and owning up to our sins and confessing our failures, while never fearing that God’s love in Christ will ever be withheld or taken away from us.

GRACE-FILLED PRAYER

CONTINUES WITH THE EXPRESSION OF GOD’S GRACE

TOWARD OTHERS AS WELL.

“Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

The Heidelberg Catechism has a beautiful rendering of the meaning of this petition: “Because of Christ’s blood, do not hold against us, poor sinners that we are, any of the sins we do or the evil that constantly clings to us. Forgive us just as we are fully determined, as evidence of Your grace in us, to forgive our neighbors.”[iii]

Jesus instructs us, I believe, to pray for the forgiveness of our sins first, before we begin to think of the sins of others - for good reason. If we would only pause to think how much we have sinned against God, sins against us would then pale in comparison. You will recall that Jesus told a parable in Matthew 18 with precisely this lesson in mind – a servant having been forgiven so astronomically much, only failing to show forgiveness in turn to another servant who owed him comparatively so very little. It does indeed help us considerably to remember how much we are forgiven before we look to those who have hurt us and then seek to forgive them and pray for them.

Admittedly, however, it nevertheless remains challenging and hard for us to do so. “Despite a hundred sermons on forgiveness,” wrote Elizabeth O’Conner, “we do not forgive easily, nor find ourselves easily forgiven. Forgiveness, we discover, is always harder than the sermons make it out to be.” [iv]

Philip Yancey adds to this in saying, “We nurse sores, go to elaborate lengths to rationalize our behavior, perpetuate family feuds, punish ourselves, punish others – all to avoid this most unnatural act.”[v] And lest we would think Yancey lives in an ivory tower free from guilt and blame, he owns up to the words his wife spoke to him during a heated argument: “I think it’s pretty amazing that I forgive you for some of the dastardly things you’ve done!” He adds to this in saying:

“What struck me about her comment … was its sharp insight into the nature of forgiveness. It is no sweet platonic ideal to be dispersed in the world like air-freshener sprayed from a can. Forgiveness is achingly difficult, and long after you’ve forgiven, the wound – my dastardly deeds – lives on in memory. Forgiveness is an unnatural act, and my wife was protesting its blatant unfairness.” [vi]

As grateful as we may be for Yancey’s openness and candor, we know he is absolutely right about it being an “unnatural act.” For this reason, we need the grace of God through prayer to avoid the alternatives to forgiveness that can only destroy us: burning resentment and bitterness; or continual pre-meditation on how to get even or even ahead; or to shut oneself off from everyone so as to never be hurt again. What kind of alternatives are these? Without condoning or ignoring the sin that is behind the unjust acts of others towards us, it is far better to seek in prayer the grace, love, wisdom and strength that God alone can provide to enable us to forgive.

Rebecca learned this the hard way – but, of course, it often is the hard way.[vii] Rebecca was married to a pastor who was a gifted retreat leader. In time, however, she discovered another side to her husband. He was addicted to pornography and solicited prostitutes during his trips to other cities. At times he would ask for forgiveness from Rebecca and at other times he would not.

In time, he left Rebecca for another woman, Julianne. That’s when it became very painful, as some church members blamed her as if it had been her fault, “forcing” him in that direction. In addition, they had children and visitation rights which insured that she would have to see him on a regular basis.

Rebecca began pulling away from people, and then she started giving in to thoughts of vengeance. Her prayers echoed some of the Psalms in the hope that he would get “what he deserved.” But then she realized she had to give it all – including him – into God’s hands. So, one night she called him on the phone and said, “I want you to know that I forgive you for what you’ve done to me. And I forgive Julianne too.” In response, he only laughed at her apology with scorn, refusing to admit any personal accountability whatsoever. But for Rebecca, the stranglehold of bitterness was finally gone.

A few years later, Rebecca was quite surprised to receive a telephone call from a sobbing Julianne. He had done it again … and this time he had been arrested. Julianne confessed how she had never wanted to believe what Rebecca had said was true about him, or at least, perhaps, that he’d changed. Now, betrayed, hurt and ashamed, and remembering the gift of forgiveness, she turned to Rebecca for help.

By God’s gift of grace and courage, Rebecca invited her over, and together they cried, they shared stories of betrayal and at the end of their time together, they prayed together. Julianne is quite candid in saying that it was that night that she became a Christian.

We can be sure that Rebecca had come to know and experience many a grace-filled prayer during this extremely painful and unwanted journey. As a result, the Lord honored such prayer, as He always does, according to His wisdom, purpose and plan.

This then, is how you should pray:

“… Forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.”

That’s a grace-filled prayer.

May we pray it often,

and always with integrity!