I love seeing a beautiful sunrise peeking through the trees from my living room window. It reminds me of the many blessings I have from God. They are new every morning. But then there is this little disheveled dog trotting downstairs. She looks like a decades old wig grew a face and ran straight into a brick wall. She surprises me by going straight to the door to be let out. I try to get back to my grateful praise for God’s creation, but I am interrupted by the dog scratching to come back in. She runs past me with singleness of mind and begins relieving herself on the rug in the middle of the room.
Every day we all have little irksome moments that try to steal our joy. It’s the news or the traffic, or the co-worker who gets under your skin or the betrayal of a friend. When we face difficulties, we know we must go to God, the source of all good things. Did you ever notice what Jesus says after he teaches his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6? Jesus ends the prayer in vs 13 “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” The very next statement after telling us how to pray is “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Forgive and pray. Jesus teaches again in Mark 11:24-25. “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Forgive and pray.
We cannot experience all the blessings God has in store for us unless we are willing to forgive “anyone” “anything.” The next time you face an annoyance, an injustice, a hindrance, do not expect to find deliverance from evil if you are not cultivating a forgiving attitude.