So far so good

The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples could hardly be more encouraging. 
To be reminded that we have a heavenly Father who is above all things and is greater than all things, whose name deserves to be honoured, and whose kingdom of love and light is becoming a reality – a kingdom where he reigns supreme -     must surely have given us an entirely new outlook on life!

But suddenly, we find ourselves exposed and placed under the spotlight as the prayer continues. ‘Forgive the wrongs we have done.’  Wrongs? Who me? Our first reaction is probably to protest our innocence or to defend ourselves: ‘I’m no different from anyone else.’ ‘Everyone does it’. ‘I’m not as bad as others I could name’.  

Older versions of the Bible use another word for ‘wrongs’ – ‘trespass’. To ‘trespass’ means to make a false step, to deviate, to commit a blunder. Too often in our modern society, issues of right and wrong are thought to be a matter of individual conscience. Only the most extreme forms of human behaviour are condemned by everyone.
We have long since forgotten that God’s moral law - the 10 commandments – (you can find them in Exodus 20) clearly define what is right and what is wrong, what God approves and what he condemns.

Parental responsibility

We began these articles by suggesting this is a family prayer – children talking with their loving heavenly Father. As a responsible parent, the Father wants only the best for his children, so he guides and guards them against things he knows will harm them. He doesn’t shrink from warning them, correcting, and even disciplining them. After all, at stake is their welfare and his reputation when his children behave in a way which dishonours him.    

The Bible uses the word ‘sin’ to describe behaviour which is contrary to the moral code the Father has laid down. It often has the meaning of ‘missing the mark’, in the same way as a marksman may miss the bull’s-eye on the target. Sin is such a damaging thing that without the heart-felt prayer, ‘Forgive us the wrong we have done’, it can spoil the Father-child relationship, and even drive a wedge between us.  

Some find it hard to believe that a holy, heavenly Father God can forgive sinful acts of rebellion against him. After all, he cannot pretend not to notice them or not to care about them. If sin is an act of rebellion against him then he can only punish the guilty rebel.
Thankfully, love found a way to satisfy our Father’s holiness while showing his deep compassion for his wayward children: he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to live a perfect life on behalf of his wayward children - and then receive the punishment for our sins in his death on the cross. 

If Jesus has paid the debt for our sins, then we may pray for forgiveness in the assurance that our Father will hear us and forgive us for his Son’s sake.
‘He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all – will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?’.  Romans 8:31-32.
It’s so important to talk!
Michael Toogood