Asking for forgiveness

The book of Proverbs contains quality advice for living a spiritual life. But upon first glance, certain passages might seem not to apply to us. For example, chapter 6:1-4 (NLT) reads,

My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt

or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—

if you have trapped yourself by your agreement

and are caught by what you said—

follow my advice and save yourself,

for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.

Now swallow your pride;

go and beg to have your name erased.

Many of us lack the financial resources ever to find ourselves in the position to "put up security for" or "guarantee" the debts of another. So do those verses apply to us?

Reading through those verses again, the real problem is that the person has been "caught by what [he] said." And, unfortunately, we've all been in that position. We say things to others -- and, even more problematic, to God -- that we soon come to regret.

Too often, when we recognize that we've gotten ourselves into a fix, we pile sin on top of sin by scheming and manipulating and lying in an attempt to cover up the original problem. Solomon's advice is to "swallow [our] pride" and "beg to have [our] name erased" from the situation.

That sort of humility requires spiritual discipline. And spiritual discipline comes by praying without ceasing!