The Power of Forgiveness in Healing | iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women

Forgiveness can sound simple until the hurt is personal. Betrayal, broken trust, and deep wounds can make forgiving someone feel almost impossible. In this prayer inspired by Aubrey Sampson’s iBelieve Truth devotional, Colossians 3:13 reminds us to “forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Forgiveness does not mean pretending the hurt did not matter. It means entrusting justice to God and asking Him to help us release what we cannot resolve on our own.

What Does the Bible Say about Forgiveness?

Colossians 3:13 connects our willingness to forgive with the grace we have already received from Christ. Christian forgiveness is not about excusing wrongdoing. It is about releasing the debt into God’s hands and trusting Him to be both perfectly just and perfectly merciful.

Does Forgiveness Mean Trust Has to Be Restored?

No. Forgiveness and trust are not the same thing. Forgiveness can be offered while healthy boundaries remain in place. Trust may need to be rebuilt slowly through consistent actions, and reconciliation requires the participation of both people.

How Can Forgiveness Be Part of Healing?

Unforgiveness can keep us emotionally tied to the pain we are trying to escape. Healing often begins by honestly naming the wound, bringing it to God, and asking Him for the willingness to forgive—even when the feeling of forgiveness has not yet come. Forgiveness is often a process rather than a single moment.

What Can I Pray When Forgiveness Feels Impossible?

Start with honesty. Tell God where you are hurt, where anger has taken root, and where forgiveness feels beyond your strength. Then ask Him to soften what has hardened and give you the grace to forgive from the same grace He has extended to you.

Printable Resource: 30-Day Prayer Challenge for Fear and Anxiety

For additional encouragement in releasing hurt, bitterness, and anxious thoughts, iBelieve’s 30-Day Prayer Challenge: Fighting Fear and Anxiety with the Promises of God includes a day specifically focused on what to pray when forgiveness feels difficult. It points readers back to Colossians 3:13 and the freedom that comes from releasing past wounds to God.

Download the 30-Day Prayer Challenge PDF

Read the Full Devotional

Want to go deeper? Read Aubrey Sampson’s full iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women entry, “The Power of Forgiveness in Healing.”

The devotional explores what forgiveness is—and what it is not—along with practical steps for naming your wounds, maintaining healthy boundaries, returning to the cross, and asking God for the willingness to forgive.

Read “The Power of Forgiveness in Healing” on iBelieve.com