Let Go and Let God

October 27th, 2026
by Bruce Smith

And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
-Matthew 6:12 (NLT)

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Back on day twenty-five of this devotional, we talked about the process of forgiveness and restoration. It might be a good idea to go back to that from time to time. Today, in our deeper study of the Lord’s Prayer, we see forgiveness as a part of aligning ourselves with God’s perfect will.

Confession and repentance should be a part of our daily time with God. Even if we can’t think of anything specific, the posture of our heart before God is important. This has been true as far back as Cain and Abel. Later, when Moses gave instructions to the Levites, they even made sacrifices for unintentional sins. This is part of coming humbly before our God who is holy and righteous in every way.

It also reminds us that we should humble ourselves to confess and repent of sins we’ve committed against others.

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So, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift.
-Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV)

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Alignment. Humility. Trust. These words are at the heart of what it means to let go and let God. In our confession to God and others, we let go of the hold that sin has on our hearts in order to receive God’s forgiveness. Hopefully, others will forgive us as well, but that’s not something we can require. We also let go of how others have wronged us. This is something we can require because Jesus, in his kindness, told us to let these things go.

We do that by letting God be God. His justice and grace and mercy are absolutely perfect. No sin will go unpunished. All will be accounted for, either by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, or through personal culpability. I recommend the first option.