how can i forgive?

"An obsession with enemies and rivals cannot be simply switched off, but it can be ousted by a new focus of attention." ~ Derek Kidner, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, quoted by Chris Brauns in Unpacking Forgiveness.

What do we need to do to be able to fully forgive, or more so, to live lives of freedom in Christ Jesus? We need a renewed perspective. We need a clear vision of who God is (Heb 12.1-3). The Psalmist in Psalm 121.1-2 models this:

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Brauns rightly points to Psalm 77 as an excellent overview of what happens in the battlefield of our mind. "In the day of trouble" Asaph "meditates" but sadly he begins by thinking on what is not true (Psa 77.7-9) and "his soul refuses to be comforted" (v.2). But eventually he rightly turns his attention toward God (Psa 77.10-12). As one reads the rest of the chapter it is clear that Asaph's soul is comforted, that his meditations do eventually heal his soul. But to do this he must first turn his affections toward the truth of God.

In Philippians 4.4-7, Paul is not proposing a self-help style solution of using mere words to affect our thinking. It's more powerful than that. Through prayer and meditation on the truth of God, His peace will permeate our spirit in a supernatural way - we will be transformed from the inside. Our meditation will become our practice (Phil 4.8-9)! Not because we focused on it enough, but because it is true. And the beauty of this is, as we then practice it, when experience truth more internally, which then leads to better practice, and so on ...

Praise God.

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