The statistics are frightening.  We’re a nation in debt, privately in our own families, corporately in our businesses and organizations, and nationally in our government.  Indebtedness is now growing into an even deeper crisis as our present economic troubles mount.  Debt may be our attempt to temporarily ease our pain; but it’s a long-term bondage that robs us of a future and a hope and a freedom to pursue our dreams.

In Jesus Lord’s Prayer he offers this, very startling appeal: “Forgive us our debts…” Is Jesus serious?

Often we interpret this in a spiritual way, believing that Jesus is promising us that we can ask God to forgive us our debt of sin.  This is true.  We can ask God to carry and cancel our spiritual debt.  But there is also a very practical and down to earth application to this appeal: We are invited here to ask God to actually forgive our financial debt!

Is it actually possible to expect God to pay my bills, even when I’ve been foolish with my spending?  The answer is, yes.  God may not do this in the way we expect, or always in a way that eliminates all our pain.  But he does promise to carrier our load, including the practical burden of our financial debt. 

God may do this by teaching us principles of wisdom, prudence and discipline.  The book of Proverbs in the Bible is full of financial wisdom. He may on the other hand deliver us quite miraculously, even instantly. Quite often he uses both wise, long-term and miraculous short term solutions.  The key: God cares, and he invites us to bring all our needs to him in prayer, and to present bold requests for him to meet those needs.

If you or someone you know struggles with debt, enlist a partner today – God himself.  God will cosign your obligations – when you give him in return full right to work in ALL areas of your life.  That’s the deal in working with god: ALL or NOTHING. God will own my problems, when I let him also own me. 

From there we both begin the amazing, sometimes slow, sometimes miraculously rapid work of clearing the slate of my messed up life!

“Dear God, I have put myself in the bondage of debt.  It’s my problem, but it’s also something beyond my ability to fix.  I need your help.  I ask you now to take this debt as your own and forgive it.  I ask you to  work with me to justly return what I owe to those to whom I am indebted.  I ask for wisdom and discipline, but also for miracle provision.  I know I don’t deserve your involvement, but I also know you love me and want to teach me how to live by your principles, something I will need for the rest of eternity.  Thank you ahead of time for clearing my debt and teaching me a new way of living.”