Why should we pray for forgiveness? At first glance, that seems obvious – so we and our loved ones won’t experience separation from God forever. After all, since sin is in one way or another a turning away from God, a rejecting of God’s authority, it only makes sense that continuing in sin would eventually lead to the eternal exclusion from God’s presence that we call Hell.

But if we’re not careful, our prayers for forgiveness can be just as self-focused as any of our sins may be. After all, “God, save me for my sake” isn’t really focused on God or His glory, is it? So why should we expect such a selfish prayer to be answered by the God Who commands us to worship Him alone, to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength?

Moses offers us a better way to pray for forgiveness, one focused not on our own needs, but on God. For why did he ask God to forgive the Israelites who had rebelled against Him, refusing to trust Him to bring them safely into the Promised Land? In this passage he appeals to God’s glory. After all, if God had led His people into the desert only to destroy them there, it is very likely that the whole world would have come to the wrong conclusion, believing that God was not strong enough to keep His promises (v. 16). On the other hand, when they saw the way that God expressed His perfect justice, they might have come to the conclusion that God doesn’t care about the welfare of His people – that He is righteous, but not loving. Moses wanted the world to know that everything God said about Himself in verse 18 was true, so he begged God to forgive God’s people for the sake of God’s reputation.

And of course we now know how God is able to express His power, His righteousness, and His love – through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus died on the cross, He satisfied God’s righteous judgment perfectly. But because He rose from the dead, He demonstrates God’s awesome power over our worst enemy – death itself. And because Jesus offers the free gift of forgiveness to all who turn to Him in trust, He demonstrates God’s steadfast, faithful, covenant love, a love that can never go back on its word.

So, knowing all this, we can pray for forgiveness with even greater confidence: “Lord, keep Your promise to forgive me. Show yourself faithful and righteous, remembering the blood of Jesus shed for all who trust in Him. Pour out your love on me, an undeserving sinner, for Jesus’ sake. Make me a trophy of your grace, a living proof of how you can change even the worst of sinners into those who bear witness to Your power and justice and love.” How can we doubt that God will answer such a God-centered prayer, one rooted in the very essence of God Himself?

Numbers 14:13-20 (ESV)

13 But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them,
14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
15 Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say,
16 ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’
17 And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying,
18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’
19 Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”
20 Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word.