27th Uganda National Prayer Breakfast: A time to forgive and forget

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OPINION

By Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa

In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), a servant who fails to pay a debt of $100,000 (according to the Message version of the Bible) begs his master for forgiveness, which, mercifully, is granted, and his heavy debt is written off. But when this lucky chap steps out and meets a fellow servant who owed him only $10, he grabs him by the throat and demands his money. The poor fellow pleads to be given more time to pay back, but the man refuses and gets him arrested. When the king heard this, he summoned the man and said furiously, “You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant as I had mercy on you?” Then he ordered that the silly chap be jailed until he should pay all his debt, yea, the cool $100,000!

This sobering account captures the fate that will befall the hard-hearted who refuse to forgive or have mercy on others. As we gather for the 27^th Uganda National Prayer Breakfast, it’s perfectly right to reflect and remind ourselves that we are an imperfect lot that are in urgent need of mercy and forgiveness; a race of broken people that are here for a short-while before we are summoned to the Judgment Seat by the King of kings and the Lord of lords to give account of how we lived our lives; how we treated others and utilized our God-given talents.    

As a country on the cusp of another election cycle, it’s easy to resuscitate old mistakes and reopen old wounds among opposing camps in the hope of garnering a sympathy vote. It’s possible to ride on a wave of lies and false promises and build on sand. This is a precarious period, and the only way to come out of it unscathed is to remind ourselves about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation, which is the theme of this year’s National Prayer Breakfast.

In the iconic words of Martin Luther King Jr., “We are tied together in a single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.” Therefore, we cannot escape our interconnectedness, and because we are inevitably linked, it would be costly to keep grudges or hate one another. Which is why fellowships like the National Prayer Breakfast are fundamental in building oneness, leading to reconciliation and healing and orchestrating blessings not only on the nation but the region too. Imagine over 15,000 guests from the political, diplomatic, social, business and religious circles all coming together to pray and fellowship. This is pleasing in the sight of God.

As a force, prayer is unmatched. Not only does it change us on the inside, it also stirs in us a longing to do and be better. It leads to harmonious co-existence and makes it easy for people to forgive and get along easily. This is what the nation needs at such a time as this. As we gather for this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, may we be reminded by the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant that failure to forgive is detrimental.  And may we heed its theme and make manifest the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.