📜 Forgiveness: Finding Freedom When Hurts Run Deep
Hello there. 
Life inevitably brings hurts, disappointments, and even betrayals. Holding onto resentment and anger can feel natural- a way to protect ourselves or seek justice. In this post, I'm drawing from my own experience to examine the challenge of discovering forgiveness for in-depth hurts, hoping to share insights from the Holy Scriptures that you can relate to. Let's explore the profound power of forgiveness as revealed in God's Word.
The Burden of Unforgiveness
When we refuse to forgive, we often believe we are punishing the person who wronged us. In reality, we are the ones carrying the heavy chain of bitterness. Unforgiveness blocks our peace, drains our joy, and separates us from the spiritual freedom we crave.
This burden is why scriptures so urgently point us toward a different path.
The Power of Divine Instruction
The Holy Scriptures consistently link our experience of God’s grace directly to the grace we extend to others. It is not an optional suggestion; it is a fundamental principle of spiritual life.
Consider the incredible standard set for us:
Ephesians 4:32 (NWT): "But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you."
This verse reframes forgiveness. It is not merely a favor we do for another person; it is a response to the boundless favor God has shown us. When we realize the immense debt Christ paid for us, the offenses we hold against others begin to look smaller in comparison.
Forgiveness That Knows No Limit
When we feel that the hurt is simply too great, or that we have forgiven "enough", Jesus offers a radical perspective on the scope of mercy.
Peter once asked Him for a quantifiable limit:
Matthew 18: 21-22 (NWT): Then Peter came to Jesus and asked: " Lord, how many times is my brother to sin against me and am I to forgive him? Up to seven times? " Jesus answered to him: "I say to you, not up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times."
"Seventy-seven times" (or "seventy times seven" in some translations) is a metaphor for unlimited forgiveness. It challenges us to adopt an attitude of endless mercy, mirroring the way God treats our own repeated failings.
A Story of Restoration: The Prodigal's Return
The beautiful truth of forgiveness is best captured in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). This story is about a "Father's heart". When the son, who had wasted his entire inheritance, finally returns home, broken and ready to beg for a low-status job, the Father doesn't wait. He runs to meet him, embraces him, and fully restores him. There is no lecture, no condition, and no period of probation—just unconditional love and immediate restoration. This narrative assures us of two things:
- For ourselves: No matter how far we have strayed or how great our own failures, God's forgiveness is waiting, swift and complete: "as far off as the sunrise is from the sunset, so far off from us he has put our transgressions. As a father shows mercy to his sons, Jehovah has shown mercy to those who fear him." (Psalm 103:12-13).
- For others: We are called to embody this same boundless, restorative love in our own lives, allowing us to finally drop the heavy burden of resentment and find our own healing.
Finding Your Freedom: A Personal Prayer
Forgiveness is not forgetting, nor is it instantly trusting the person again. It is simply choosing to release your right to punish and entrusting the justice— and your healing— to God. It is a powerful act of self-liberation.
I invite you to pray this prayer with me:
Heavenly Father God, Jehovah, I come before Your throne with an honest heart, seeking Your help in this profound challenge of forgiveness. I confess to You the deep hurt and the lingering anger that I carry. I acknowledge the betrayal and the resentment that is weighing heavily on my spirit. I know that holding onto these wounds hinders my relationship with You and steals my inner peace. Father Jehovah, give me the courage to let go of the right to retribution and to fully embrace the freedom that comes only through Your pardon. Help me to forgive completely, as You forgive, and to find healing and restoration in Your presence. Help me to see the person who hurt me through Your eyes of grace, recognizing that You have pardoned my own vast debts. I need Your divine strength and Your perfect compassion to fill me where I am weak and resistant. Please teach me to release the pain and the desire for justice into Your righteous hands. Father God, I humbly ask You to grant me your Holy Spirit- so I can do all these things. I offer this prayer, and all my desires for freedom and strength, through the mighty name of Your Son, Yeshua (Yehusha / Christ Jesus ). Amen.
The journey toward forgiveness is rarely easy, but the burden of holding onto resentment is far heavier than the effort demanded to release it. As we have seen in God's Word, forgiveness is not a feeling; it is an act of the will, made possible by the strength of the Holy Spirit.
Take a deep breath today, remember the measureless forgiveness shown to you, and choose to step out from under the shadow of bitterness and into the light of freedom.
I close this post with the words of our Lord Yeshua:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27, NIV)
May the peace of Jehovah fill your heart and guard your mind as you walk in His grace.
God's Forgiveness and Our Need to Forgive
| Theme | Scripture | Passage |
| The Example Set by God/Christ | Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) | Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. |
| Forgiving to be Forgiven | Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV) | For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. |
| The Measureless Nature of Forgiveness | Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) | Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." |
| God's Commitment to Forgiveness | Psalm 103:12 (NIV) | As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. |
| Letting Go of Resentment | Colossians 3:13 (NIV) | Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. |
| The Cleansing Power of Repentance and Forgiveness | 1 John 1:9 (NIV) | If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. |
| Love Covers Forgiveness | Proverbs 10:12 (NIV) | Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. |
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