“bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.”
~Luke 6:28 NIV
This week I’ve been really sick {insert coughing fit}. I finally got some antibiotics, but it’s just not letting up so,
I’ve Been Binge-Watching Netflix!
Isn’t that the new national sickness pastime?
Todd and I have been fascinated with The Crown Series and I’m sad because there’s only two episodes left for us. Learning about Queen Elizabeth and the royal family has been incredible. You see their humanness and the personal struggles they faced. The Queen is truly a remarkable woman who has lead through so much adversity. One episode called, Vergangenheit; which translates as ‘past’ in German is stuck in my head.
The Vergangenheit episode chronicles a time when Billy Graham brought his crusades to England. As the head of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth’s family didn’t think it was appropriate for her to come under the American Evangelist’s teaching, but the simple Christian; as she calls herself, finds great hope in Graham’s messages.
As God would have it, the evangelists visits takes place at the same time as an opportunity for forgiveness arises in her life. The Queen’s Uncle, who had abdicated the throne and left it to her father was begging for them to allow him back into the country and restore him to a position in the government.
The Queen’s desire to forgive as Christ forgave was so pure. In the heart of forgiveness, she almost allowed her uncle to bamboozle the family again. God allowed hidden documents from the past to surface at just the right time so the Queen could base her decision to restore the relationship with her uncle on this new information. As the Bible says in Numbers 32:23, “be sure your sins will find you out”. The ex-king’s past ties to the Nazi regime and betrayal of the family was confirmed, allowing Elizabeth to sever those unhealthy family ties.
The most powerful part of this episode happened when Queen Elizabeth asked again to meet with Rev. Graham to discuss forgiveness on a deeper level. Billy Graham is recorded as saying,
“the solution for being unable to forgive…
pray for those one cannot forgive.”
~Billy Graham
The cameras show her pondering these words and then switches to her kneeling at the altar, eyes toward heaven, praying. The scene then moves to her praying before bed when her husband, affirms to her how the decision to banish this dastardly uncle from the Kingdom was a heroic, godly act of a sovereign protecting her people. An example of the shepherd guarding the sheep.
There were so many spiritual applications to this episode I could write for days, but the overarching theme was Forgiveness vs. Restored Relationship and I couldn’t help but think about the devotion I wrote back in 2014 with the title Does Forgiveness =Equal= Restored Relationship?
May we all follow the examples of Jesus and Queen Elizabeth when it comes to forgiveness. Pray for those you struggle to forgive and allow the Lord to release you from the stranglehold of offense.
Prayer
Father…I thank You for forgiving me. Help my heart to never be bound up by unforgiveness because I’m not the judge, only You are. Help me to forgive as You did. When hurt emotions spring up in my heart reminding me of those who’ve offended me, help me to pray and release them into Your care, Your justice, Your hands. In Jesus Name…Amen
[tweetthis]Pray for those you struggle to forgive[/tweetthis]
If forgiveness and the questions of moving towards relationship restoration is an issue your struggling with, I do encourage you to read my previous post, Does Forgiveness =Equal= Restored Relationship?
If you liked the refreshing in this #SoulH2O devotion, you’ll love my latest Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women.
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- Luke 6:28
- Matthew 5:44
- Romans 12:14
- 1 Peter 3:9
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“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example…”
This post was first published on January 19, 2014 and then included in my first 
