Pray For Who?!

Last fall Pastor Brett taught on a series on reconciliation.  Shortly after that, I came across a passage in the Bible that just jumped out at me.

I'm sure everyone is somewhat familiar with the story of Job.  As he lost his family, wealth and then health, his infamous three friends enter the story.  Actually, we don't realize that they start out pretty well.  Job 2 says they joined him for seven days without even saying a word.  There's something to be learned right there!  So often, we're eager to throw a Bible verse at someone and go on our merry way when they just need someone to sit with them.  They need our time.  Something most of us are hesitant to give up.  But I digress, that is not the point of this post.

Fast forward to chapter 42.  You know how Job's "friends" blistered him all through the first part of the book.  Job didn't take it.  He dished it right back.  As far as Christian fellowship goes -- I think it is safe to say it got pretty ugly.

But God reprimands the 3 "friends" and tells them to offer a sacrifice of seven bulls and seven rams. (I'm sure there's something symbolic about "seven".)  Then, after that,  God tells Job to pray for his friends so that God will not deal with their folly as He really should.

Do you think Job had a hard time with that?  Would you?  I'm afraid I would.  I don't know what the time frame was from chapter 2 to chapter 42.  I'm guessing it seemed like an eternity to Job.  But now after all the accusations hurled at him, he is now asked to pray for his accusers!  Do you think he asked God if He was kidding?  Do you think he hesitated?  Do you think he kind of looked at the ground and kicked a stone?  The Bible doesn't tell us.  However, we are told that Job does pray for his friends.  And then what happens?  Everything is restored  to Job -- twice as much as he had before.

I'm certainly not saying God will always bless in this way.  But I do think there is a lesson to learn here.

The week following the death (suicide) of Pastor Rick Warren's son, he tweeted this.
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Rick Warren (@RickWarren)   4/11/13 2:44 PM

Someone on the internet sold Matthew an unregistered gun. I pray he seeks God's forgiveness. I forgive him. #MATTHEW 6:15

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Reconciliation and forgiveness is not easy.  But Jesus doesn't call us to easy.  Matthew 5:43-48 challenges us with some good -- though tough -- commands.  Jesus doesn't tell us to do this so that we can receive a blessing.  We are to do this for the cause of Christ.  For His name.

And we can't do this on our own.  We can only do this through the power of the Spirit and a changed heart.

SDG