DAY 26 | God of Forgiveness

They refused to obey and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a Eloah Selichot (God of Forgiveness), gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them.
Nehemiah 9:17

photography by Brittney Weng / calligraphy by Rita Ip

MUSIC

PRAYER

God of Forgiveness, I come to You with reverence. Your love is so profound that it covers all the sins mankind has ever committed. You never lower Your standards, but You are ever willing and ready to forgive.

Jesus, thank You for personally demonstrating love and forgiveness on the cross. Holy Spirit, thank You for granting me courage, humility, and determination to ask for forgiveness and to repent from my sins.

Forgive me for refusing to respond to Your conviction, for abusing Your ever-forgiving nature, and for harbouring unforgiveness.

Father, examine my heart, reveal to me anything that offends you. Teach me to confess and repent immediately. Enable me to forgive and release those who have wronged me, help me restore them back to a place of honor.

Because You are the Forgiving God, I declare I choose to turn to You instead of handling guilt myself. I choose to forgive quickly and completely. I walk in Your grace and freedom.

A few facts…

Eloah Selichot is usually translated as “God of forgiveness” or “forgiving God”, a number of other translations are “God ready to pardon“, “God ready to forgive“, and “God who forgives“.
Eloah (God) is singular of Elohim, appears most often in biblical poetry, especially in the poetry of Job.
In Jewish culture, the word Selichot also refers to special prayers for forgiveness, said on fast days and also during the period preceding Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

Exercise 1:

TWO-WAY JOURNALING

Find a quiet space to write. Sit comfortably, and relax your shoulders, neck, and jaws.

Smile and breathe. Smile, our Father is full of grace, and His forgiveness knows no boundaries. Inhale easily through the nose, and think of the sins that easily entangle you. Hold your breath for a few seconds, and visualize Him trampling the sins under His feet and throwing them into the depths of the ocean. Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth, and release any feelings of guilt, shame, and heaviness to Him.

On a new page of your journal, write to the God of Forgiveness. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to guide you, and allow Him to take you where He wants you to experience spiritual freedom. Record your conversation with Him in your journal.

[Part 1]
Dear God of Forgiveness, …
[Part 2]
Dear child / (your name), …

• Recount your experience of being forgiven or having forgiven someone.

• Ask God to “search your heart” and reveal issues that He wants you to process today:
… He may show you something you need to repent of
… He may want you to forgive someone, yourself, or to reconcile with Him

Check out Appendix 2 for more.

Exercise 2:

DECLARATION

He is the God of Forgiveness. He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in unfailing love. How does this relate to the way you live today? In your journal, write a personalized declaration.

Because You are God of Forgiveness, I declare I can / I will / I am…

Read your declaration out loud. Repeat it with certainty and anticipation, as many times as you need to let it sink in. Believe with every fibre of your being, for we walk by faith and not by sight. By doing this, we are positioning ourselves to tap into God’s reality.

This completes Day 26 of HE. Today, I pray that by His grace and His power, you can and you will forgive just as you have been forgiven.

BONUS

If you need some guidance in forgiving others in a deeper and more thorough way, I recommend using the FRESH START guide to process your heart issues. It’s Bible-based, straightforward, and easy to follow. It’s definitely a good place to start.

Further study: