“‘Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.’” (Matt. 6:12)
Expanded Passage: Matthew 6:11-13
Our needs are many, aren’t they? When we sit with our lists, whether they’re memorized or written down in front of us, our hearts grow heavy with the enormity of the needs. We pray for the sick to find healing, for those without employment to find work, for empty arms to be filled with babies, for single souls to find love, for weary parents to find energy, and a host of other requests. I used to lead a women’s Bible study, and, more than once, we even brought potty training before the Lord!
He welcomes our petitions, and we’re grateful for that. Yet Jesus’ model prayer simplifies our needs to four things: provision, forgiveness, leading, and deliverance. If you think about it, most of your requests could fit into three of those categories. Forgiveness, I’ve found, is often overlooked.
It’s easy to get comfortable in our Christianity. As long as we haven’t committed any of the “big sins,” we skip over that part of prayer. But God doesn’t categorize sin. He’s a holy God looking at the film of sin that coats our souls. What would result if we stopped overlooking our need to search our hearts and seek forgiveness from our Father and those around us? Repentance is a daily discipline, just like depending on God to provide for our needs!
Pray for God to forgive your sins and your tendency to overlook them.
Bekah Shaffer lives in Kokomo, Indiana, and enjoys endless coffee, scrapbooking, speaking, and planning adventures with her husband, Ryan.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
