A Prayer to Leave Last Year’s Bitterness Behind - Your Daily Prayer - January 3
A Prayer to Leave Last Year’s Bitterness Behind
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” - Ephesians 4:31
Listen or Read Below:
Bitterness is a deeply rooted issue, difficult to eradicate completely from our lives, especially when injustice, hurt, suffering, and other forms of pain are involved.
If it remains and is never uprooted, it has the ability to grip us so tightly that it will squeeze the life out of us, preventing us from experiencing the goodness of God and the joy available to us.
It’s definitely a life-killer, destroying us from within, if we don’t rid ourselves of it, which, of course, we can’t do on our own because we need God’s strength to overcome it.
Because we aren’t strong enough on our own, Philippians 4:13 reminds us, “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”
Forgiveness Frees Us from Bitterness
The Apostle Paul explains in Acts 8:23 that when bitterness invades our lives, it places us in the clutches of sin: “For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
Even with all our culture’s trendy self-help programs, improvement courses, and counseling opportunities, it’s impossible to rid ourselves of bitterness without forgiveness, meaning we need to forgive those we hold bitterness towards.
It involves forgiving others, often those who aren’t sorry, think they have nothing to be sorry for, and believe they don’t have anything to be forgiven for.
Proverbs 14:10 describes how personal bitterness is in each person, with no one else truly knowing what we’re holding in our hearts: “Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.”
Like Mary Poppins’ song that goes, “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” we need God’s sweet forgiveness to wash away the bitterness from our hearts.
Even though our fallen human nature clings to bitterness, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have been given the ability to let bitterness go and resist the sin of holding onto it.
As Romans 6:14 reassures us, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
It’s Time to “Let It Go!”
The New Year is a time for us to let go of all bitterness and resist the need to carry it over to another year. Hebrews 12:15 warns, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
Because God calls us to let go of all bitterness, we need to obey. Just as Paul urges us in Ephesians 4:31, it’s time for us to agree with God as we sing the Frozen song, “Let It Go.”
Sadly, many of us struggle with letting go of bitterness towards others, resisting the tug of forgiveness in our hearts, while also not knowing how or where to begin, believing there is too much bitterness built up inside us to be freed from it.
However, we still need to face the issue of bitterness head-on as Christians, because God forgives us; we really have no excuse or justification for holding bitterness against anyone.
Jesus urges in Mark 11:25, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
And Jesus didn’t just preach it, He lived it by forgiving the people who crucified Him.
As He prayed on the cross, “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up His clothes by casting lots” (Luke 23:34).
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
Free us today from bitterness that has taken up residence in our souls, forgive us for letting it into our hearts and take root and grow within us. Soften our hearts to forgive those who have hurt us, so that the bitterness towards them will be wiped away.
As we ask for Your help in forgiving others, we ask that You also soften the hearts of those who have hurt us, drawing them to You to seek repentance and receive Your forgiveness.
After all, their sin is against You, and Yours to forgive.
Strengthen us to let all bitterness go and to purify ourselves from it.
As Paul professes in 2 Corinthians 7:1, “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Related Resource: Let God Reframe Your Year: A Psalm 107 Year-End Reflection
As we wrap up our year together, I want to invite you into this meaningful spiritual practice: looking back on the year through the lens of Psalm 107 to identify the “fingerprints of God’s faithfulness. In this episode, we'll walk through four redemptive storylines found in Psalm 107—each representing a way God rescues, restores, and reorients His people. Whether you felt lost, trapped, wounded, self-destructive, or overwhelmed by storms, I encourage you to reflect on how God met you in weakness and brought deliverance. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to subscribe to the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
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