Do you ever notice how some prayers feel thin—as if there’s a layer between you and God you can’t quite get through? Often that layer is not theology but hurt: a grudge, a simmering offense, the small calculus of “I’ll forgive when they deserve it.” Jesus pulls no punches: the life of prayer and the life of forgiveness belong together. If you long to be heard and healed, you can’t ignore the people sitting between you and God.
In plain terms, Jesus says two things in these passages. In Mark 11:24–26 he urges confident, believing prayer—ask, believe you've received, and it will be yours—and immediately links that praying with a posture of forgiveness: when you stand praying, forgive anyone you hold against, so your Father will forgive you. In Matthew 6:14–15 (part of the Sermon on the Mount) he makes the same point directly: forgiving others is tied to God’s forgiveness of you. Matthew places this teaching amidst ethics of kingdom life; Mark places it amid concrete teaching on faith and prayer. (You’ll find echoes in Luke’s call to forgive, but the precise prayer-forgiveness pairing is strongest in Matthew and Mark.)
This teaching exposes an essential biblical truth: vertical and horizontal relationships are inseparable in God’s kingdom. Jesus isn’t offering a transactional rule—“forgive to earn forgiveness”—but diagnosing the condition of the heart. Unforgiveness corrodes trust, closes us off from God’s grace, and undermines our boldness in prayer. Yet the gospel offers a startling hope: God’s forgiveness is both gift and model. When God forgives us, he reshapes our desires so we can let go; when we practice forgiveness, we participate in the Kingdom’s healing work.
Try this today: before your next prayer, name one person who still pains you. Say aloud (or in your heart), “Father, I choose to forgive [name].” If full feeling doesn’t follow, choose the will anyway—ask God to carry the burden, to change your heart, and to bless that person. If a small restorative step is possible (a text, a call, a truthful conversation), prepare it. Repeat this habit—let prayer become the place where God trains you to let love overcome offense.
In plain terms, Jesus says two things in these passages. In Mark 11:24–26 he urges confident, believing prayer—ask, believe you've received, and it will be yours—and immediately links that praying with a posture of forgiveness: when you stand praying, forgive anyone you hold against, so your Father will forgive you. In Matthew 6:14–15 (part of the Sermon on the Mount) he makes the same point directly: forgiving others is tied to God’s forgiveness of you. Matthew places this teaching amidst ethics of kingdom life; Mark places it amid concrete teaching on faith and prayer. (You’ll find echoes in Luke’s call to forgive, but the precise prayer-forgiveness pairing is strongest in Matthew and Mark.)
This teaching exposes an essential biblical truth: vertical and horizontal relationships are inseparable in God’s kingdom. Jesus isn’t offering a transactional rule—“forgive to earn forgiveness”—but diagnosing the condition of the heart. Unforgiveness corrodes trust, closes us off from God’s grace, and undermines our boldness in prayer. Yet the gospel offers a startling hope: God’s forgiveness is both gift and model. When God forgives us, he reshapes our desires so we can let go; when we practice forgiveness, we participate in the Kingdom’s healing work.
Try this today: before your next prayer, name one person who still pains you. Say aloud (or in your heart), “Father, I choose to forgive [name].” If full feeling doesn’t follow, choose the will anyway—ask God to carry the burden, to change your heart, and to bless that person. If a small restorative step is possible (a text, a call, a truthful conversation), prepare it. Repeat this habit—let prayer become the place where God trains you to let love overcome offense.
Matthew: 6:14-15
Jesus teaches that God’s willingness to forgive you is linked to your willingness to forgive others: if you forgive those who wrong you, your Father will forgive you, but if you refuse to forgive, you will not be forgiven.
Open VerseMark: 11:24-26
Jesus teaches that prayer must be offered in faith—believing you have received what you ask—and that when you pray you must forgive others so that God will forgive you.
Open Verse