Prayer

men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive
not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew
6:14, 15. He who is unforgiving cuts off the very channel through which alone he
can receive mercy from God. We should not think that unless those who have injured
us confess the wrong we are justified in withholding from them our forgiveness. It is
their part, no doubt, to humble their hearts by repentance and confession; but we are
to have a spirit of compassion toward those who have trespassed against us, whether
or not they confess their faults.—(The Faith I Live By, 131.)
In the prayer that Christ taught His disciples was the request: Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We cannot repeat this prayer
from the heart and dare to be unforgiving, for we ask the Lord to forgive our trespasses
against Him in the same manner that we forgive those who trespass against us.
But few realize the true import of this prayer. If those who are unforgiving did
comprehend the depth of its meaning they would not dare to repeat it and ask God to
deal with them as they deal with their fellow mortals.—(Testimonies for the Church
3:95.)
We need to examine our hearts as a preparation for coming before God in prayer,
that we may know what manner of spirit we are of. If we do not forgive those who
have trespassed against us, our prayers for forgiveness will not be heard. “Forgive us
our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” When as sinners we approach the mercy-seat,
we cannot express the sentiment of this petition without forgiveness in our hearts for
all who have done us an injury. Upon this petition Jesus makes a comment: “For if
ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye
forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”(The
Signs of the Times, August 21, 1884.)
Confession must be specific.—True confession is always of a specific character,
and acknowledges particular sins. They may be
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