Keys for Prayer Ministers: Forgiveness
by Norma Dearing
Fall 1997
"Forgiveness is the key that unlocks a door to heaven and to our heavenly Father's heart."
This is a statement I have recited so often that whenever I hear the word "forgiveness," I have a mental picture of a key opening a door. If we want to live a life in Christ, receive the blessings of health and joy, and feel a oneness with the Father's heart, we must forgive those who hurt and disappoint us. "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6: 14–15)
This is what I call a spiritual law. There are many other places where God makes this extremely clear in the area of forgiveness. Take a look at Matthew 18:21–35 and the parable of the unmerciful servant: "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
Look also at Mark 11 :25–26, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." This is extremely clear or, as my teenagers used to say, "a no–brainer." If you want to be forgiven for your sins — past, present and future — and if you want to have effective prayers for others, keep what I call "short accounts" with God. Forgive quickly and thoroughly. If it seems too difficult, ask Jesus to particularly help you to forgive in the situation. He especially loves to help us with the grace of forgiveness.
The tool, or prayer sequence, below is a practical resource in the area of forgiveness. I developed this from a teaching by my late father–in–law, Father Frank Dearing, and have used it with literally thousands of people. Our prayer ministers are taught to incorporate this resource into prayer with all clients who come to CHM. Tremendous healing takes place when you use this as a prayer, especially in steps two and three. I hope you will find this out for yourselves. Why not sit back right now, ask the Lord who you need to forgive and pray through the following forgiveness exercise.
PRAYER OF FORGIVENESS (We will use the term "her,", rather than trying to use him/her.)
Part I: Hold up to the Lord all the things about the person that trouble you.
Have the person with whom you are praying hold up to the Lord all the things a particular person has done that bothers her. tell my clients, "I want you to put your hands together and pile up, in your hands, all the things you are going to list to give to the Lord. For example, if it is your father, list and name those things that upset you about him. It is important to verbally state each thing as you are placing them in your hands." When the person is finished (and do ask if they are finished) tell her to turn her hands over and release all of these things to the Lord. At this point, I pray a prayer similar to this:
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we give you each one of these things and ask that you take them and pour your love and healing power through them. We thank you, Lord, that you have the power and the grace to redeem them. We ask you, Lord Jesus, to lift all the pain and hurt that has been involved with each one of these things, that you lift it from (person's name) heart, from her mind, from her spirit. We ask that you lift the burden of these things from her shoulders. We give all this to you, Lord, and we trust you to deal with them. Thank you, Lord, for taking each one of these things. Amen.
PART II: Hold up to the Lord all the things about you that trouble this person.
Have the person with whom you are praying put her hands together again and hold up all those things about herself that may trouble the person she is forgiving. Have her offer up those things about her that might trouble the other person. Then, have her go through the same process of verbally listing these things and piling them up, one by one, in her hands. When she can't think of anything else, I ask her to turn her hands over and release these things to the Lord. Now, I pray the same type of prayer:
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we ask you to pour your love and healing power over these things. We ask you to ake them, and we thank you for taking them, dealing with them, and releasing this burden from (name). We trust you to heal this hurt and pain. Amen.
Part Ill: Hold up to the Lord your heart's desire for this person.
Have her hold that particular person up to the Lord and share with the Lord what the desire of her heart is for this person. Say, "Lord, this is my Dad and this is what I would like for you to do with my Dad." (If the person has died, it's still okay to lift up the person and share with the Lord what the desire of your heart is for him.) Have her list those things, placing them in her hands. When she is finished, have her turn her hands over and give them all to the Lord, just as before. At this point, I pray something like:
PRAYER: Lord, we give (name) to you. We thank you that you are able to handle him better than anyone else Bring about your perfect will for (name) and let your love pour into him and your healing power flow over him. We release him into your care. Amen.
Part IV: Hold up to the Lord your hearts' desire for yourself.
Lastly, have the person hold herself up to the Lord and share with Him what the desires of her heart are for herself, what she would really like to see Jesus do in her life today. Have her say these things out loud, puts them into her hands and release them.
PRAYER: Lord, we release these things to you and ask that you pour your love, mercy and grace into them. We thank you that (name) trusts you with these things. Surround her with your heavenly angels. Help her to know how much you love her. Amen.
| Norma Dearing is the Director of Prayer Ministry at CHM. |  |