Here is the prayer which arose out of my meditation on this week’s text…
Be patient with me, Lord…
the part of me that feels
slow to learn
reticent to change
stuck in the same life-draining patterns
afraid to trust
or the part that feels
quick to accuse
ready to blame
apt to hold a grudge
alone in the mess I’ve made.
All of these parts of me need…
your patience
your mercy
your compassion
your healing
your Presence.
Come Jesus. Be Patience with me.
Help me be patient with me.
Together, let us be patient with others.
Amen. May it be so.
Matthew 18:21-35 (NLT)
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven
“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
”That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
For Reflection and Prayer:
Was there a word, phrase or image which caught your attention you as you listened to or slowly read the text? Quietly reflect on it in your prayer with Jesus. Journal your conversation.
Was there any particular emotion which emerged as you listened to the scripture? Notice it. Be curious about it. Be compassionate towards it. Talk it over with Jesus in your prayer.
Savor any consoling words or pictures as you quietly rest in God.
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