3RD WEEK OF EASTER

Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

Unforgivable. If Stephen’s brutal murder were being covered on today’s news, you might hear a reporter use that word. But Stephen himself disagreed. In the midst of his terrifying ordeal, even as the stones were flying through the air and striking him, he prayed for his killers’ forgiveness: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). In making this prayer, Stephen was following the example of Jesus on the cross, who prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).

How did Stephen get to the point where he could pray like this? Surely it must have been his own experience of forgiveness. Imagine how his heart was flooded by the love of God when he encountered Jesus! His whole way of seeing the world changed. He learned that Jesus, who died for us while we were still sinners, doesn’t wait until we are perfect before he meets us with love. And that encounter, that realization, opened him to extend the same mercy toward the men who were stoning him.

Has something “unforgivable” happened to you? It may not be as dramatic as what happened to Stephen, but have you struggled with Jesus’ command to turn the other cheek? Perhaps you are caring for a family member whose ingratitude seems callous. Or maybe you have wanted to lash out at someone who keeps making unkind remarks at work.

Whatever the situation, you can imitate Stephen because the same Holy Spirit who worked in him is at work in you. Stephen was able to forgive because he had discovered God’s overwhelming mercy. The Spirit had filled him with the love of a God who always forgives, and he can do the same for you. He can empower you to forgive just as freely as you have been forgiven. It may not happen overnight, and you may need to keep asking and seeking and knocking, but it will happen.

So keep cultivating a heart open to God’s healing and transforming love. Keep seeking his forgiveness for you so that you can learn how to forgive even the unforgivable.

“Lord, I welcome your mercy into my life. Come and make my heart merciful like yours.”

Acts 7:51-8:1
Psalm 31:3-4, 6-8, 17, 21
John 6:30-35