This simple prayer for forgiving others is for the moment when someone has hurt you and you want to release the debt but do not yet feel able to. You can pray it in the morning before the day’s first conversation, in the evening when old wounds replay, or whenever the memory of the offense rises up again. Read it aloud exactly as written, or use it as a starting point and speak in your own words.
Simple Prayer for Forgiving Others
Father, you know what was done to me, and you know how deep the hurt goes. I bring it to you honestly. I do not want to pretend it did not happen, and I do not want to keep carrying it alone. Help me see the person who hurt me as someone you love, someone who also needs your mercy, even if they never say they are sorry.
I confess that I want them to feel the weight of what they did. I rehearse the scene and imagine the words I would like to say. Lord, loosen my grip on that anger. Where I have been holding a list of wrongs, write new words on my heart, words that release the debt into your hands. Give me the courage to stop asking for repayment, and the humility to remember how much I have been forgiven.
Heal the places in me that feel small, bitter, or afraid. Teach me that forgiving does not mean the wrong was small, and it does not mean I must trust them again right away. Guard my heart from resentment, and let your peace settle where the bitterness has been. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Lord, I am still angry about what happened, and I cannot make the feeling go away on my own. I choose to release this person to you right now. Take the hurt I keep replaying, and free me from needing them to pay for it. Help me forgive as I have been forgiven. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
Matthew 6:14-15
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
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Jesus links our forgiveness of others with the forgiveness we receive from the Father. When you pray these words, ask God to show you where you are still holding a debt, and let the verse lead you to a fresh act of release.
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
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Paul ties kindness and tenderheartedness to the forgiveness God gave us in Christ. Pray this verse by naming the person you struggle with and asking God to make you gentle toward them, even while the healing continues.
Colossians 3:13
Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
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This verse describes forgiveness as bearing with one another and forgiving as the Lord forgave you. Use it to thank God for the grace you have received, and ask him to let that grace flow through you.
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
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The psalmist describes how far God removes our sins from us. Pray this verse when guilt about your own failures makes it harder to forgive, reminding yourself that the Lord does not hold on to what he has forgiven.
Luke 17:3-4
3 Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
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Jesus speaks of rebuking a brother who sins and forgiving him when he turns back, even repeatedly. Pray this passage honestly, asking God for the persistence to forgive again when the hurt returns.
How to Pray This Prayer
Choose a quiet time and place, such as a chair by a window before the house wakes up or a parked car before you walk into work. Keep a pen nearby so you can write down the name of the person and the specific wound. Many people find it helpful to open a hand, palm up, while they pray, as a physical sign that they are setting the debt down.
If the hurt is still raw, you may need to pray this prayer many times over several weeks. That is not a failure. Ask a trusted friend or pastor to pray with you, especially if the wrong was serious or ongoing. Forgiveness is a decision you can make in prayer, and the feelings often follow more slowly.
A Blessing to Close
May the Lord who forgave every debt you owed fill you with his patience and peace. May he loosen the knots of bitterness and give you rest in his mercy. And may the grace you have received become a quiet strength that moves you toward freedom.
