Day 30 Prayers for Forgiveness from Others

Pray that those they have hurt can find it in their hearts to forgive them.

Matthew 6:14-15

"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."

Well… here we are on the last day of our 30 day journey. I have enjoyed praying with you this month and hope that you have been inspired and refreshed by the prayer prompts and reflections this month. My prayers will continue for your loved ones moving forward.

Forgiveness from those that they’ve hurt in their addiction is the topic we are covering on this last day of our journey. I put this topic at the end on purpose. I hope this 30 days of prayer has softened your heart with your addicted loved one. I know from experience just how much hurt comes with loving someone in addiction. Your feelings are valid and important and you deserve to have people in your life that minister to you in those feelings and point you back to Jesus for your comfort and peace.

Forgiving our loved ones for the pain they have inflicted on us and the people we love during their addiction can be a tough pill to swallow. For me, it is especially difficult when innocent children have been hurt by their choices. But forgive we must. Unforgiveness leads to bitterness in our hearts and negatively affects every aspect of our lives. Even if your loved one never gets clean or apologizes or makes amends, I beg you to ask God to help you forgive them. If not for their sake for yours. My wish for you and your loved one is that you would not miss out on one blessing that God has for you on this side of the pearly gates or the other and unforgiveness is a foolproof way to do just that.

I know that’s not always what we want to do. I know sometimes it feels good to be hurt and angry and we want to hold on to that instead of forgiving. I know some things seem unforgivable and unforgettable. What I have learned is that we just have to become willing and ask God to help us.

Author Lisa Terkeurst, in Forgiving What You Can’t Forget, talks about an exercise she did with her therapist where she wrote out each hurt that she had experienced on an index card and spread them around his office. Then she covered each one with a red index card saying with each one, “Father, forgive them and what my feelings won’t allow, the blood of Christ shall surely cover.” It was life-changing for her and it has been life-changing for me and other people I have taught this method to.

We just have to become willing and the blood of Christ will cover what our hearts won’t allow us to do. Just by becoming willing God will begin to change our hearts and slowly take away the power these hurts have over us. Trust in God, ask for His help, and He will surely work within you to release you from any unforgiveness in your heart.

We also pray that others will soften their hearts and find it within themselves to forgive our loved one. Addiction wrecks almost all the relationships that are important to an addict and when they are once again clean and sober, they realize how badly they need these relationships in their lives. Some people will forgive quickly and welcome them back in and other will have been so hurt that do not ever wish to rekindle the relationship. That is something we and our loved ones have to accept. We can not manage or control anyone’s relationship with our addicted loved one but our own. Some will forgive but not welcome them back into their lives and we must respect that. We can pray that they will change their mind over time but that is really all we can do. Forcing the issue rarely works for a true restoration of the relationship.

I pray God answers each and every pray you have prayed this month and going forward. I pray your loved one finds full recovery and that God redeems and restores them in ways you can’t even imagine. I pray that either way, God draws you closer to Him and whispers His truth in your ear when the circumstances feel overwhelming. I pray you get to the other side of this journey with a deeper faith and a profound trust in His goodness despite the circumstances of our life. I pray that God blesses you and your loved one for your obedience and faithfulness to pray.

May God bless you on this journey!

Precious Heavenly Father,

We come before You, lifting up our loved ones who have struggled with addiction and have caused pain to those around them. Lord, we ask for Your grace to cover them and for the hearts of those they’ve hurt to be softened. We pray that those who have been wounded by their actions would find the strength and compassion to extend forgiveness, just as You have forgiven us.

Lord, we know that forgiveness can be difficult, especially when trust has been broken. But we ask that You work in the hearts of family, friends, and all those affected, helping them to release any bitterness or resentment. Bring healing to these relationships, Lord, and pave the way for reconciliation and restoration.

May Your love be the foundation upon which forgiveness is built, and may peace fill the hearts of everyone involved as they seek healing and move forward together in love. Guide our loved ones to seek forgiveness with humility, and give them the courage to make amends where possible. We trust in Your power to heal what has been broken.

In Jesus’ mighty name,Amen.

Ephesians 4:32

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Matthew 18:21-22

"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.'"

Romans 12:17-18

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

Colossians 3:13

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Psalm 86:5

"You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you."