“But I have prayed for you. . .and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32) When Jesus teaches us to forgive , it includes prayer for recovery. Knowing that Peter would fall away was motivation for Jesus. Despite His disappointment, He desired God’s best for His friend, and expressed it in prayer. Full forgiveness (what I need from God and what others need from me) requires that I move from resentment all the way to love, from distance to honest advocacy. “Pray for those who despitefully use you” said Jesus in Matthew 5:44. Perhaps we would all forgive others more completely if we followed His command and example to pray for them as well.
