February 19, 2023 - Genesis 33:4

“But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.” Genesis 33:4 NIV

Lord, Jacob stole his brother Esau’s blessing. Esau had reason to hold a serious grudge against Jacob. Yet, in this verse we see the power of forgiveness at work. Lord, Esau’s action brought glory to you. We praise you that you can bring reconciliation to any situation. Help us be people who forgive quickly. We want to be an example to the world of your love. We can’t fully do that if we are harboring unforgiveness in our hearts. We also can’t do that if we are walking in pride and not doing all that we can to bring restoration to the relationships in our lives. We can’t control what other people do or don’t do. We can’t force them to apologize to us or force them to forgive us, but we can control our actions. Please help us forgive others, even if we have been badly wounded. Jesus, help us not to cling to the pain, but fully release the hurt to you so you can heal us. Even when walking in forgiveness is a hard journey, help us move forward daily in that journey. Help us also be quick to walk humbly and go to you and others to ask forgiveness when necessary. Help us extend love even when it is not deserved.

Lord, please open our eyes to places where we are closed off to reconciliation because of being stuck in our way of thinking. So often relationship issues are caused by misunderstanding, making assumptions, and believing lies. Give us your insights to see past the surface and/or see if our opinions are not true. Help us see situations through other’s eyes. Help us see other solutions or views when needed. Soften our hearts. Help us die to our opinions or what we think are our rights. Jesus, please help change us to be more like you. We want to learn from you and walk in your kingdom’s ways.

In Jesus name, amen.