Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Wisdom from my Mom: Pray for our foes

My mom mentioned something in an email tonight. Sometimes she prays for someone she's not really fond of and that always feels good.

Doesn't that seem counter-intuitive? To feel good after asking God to look favorably on someone who is not nice to you or you don't like?

Yet it's not. That's how we're supposed to behave, if you believe in the Bible and its teaching. We're supposed to pray for those who stray from the path, those who treat us poorly, those we don't even like.

That's hard though. I struggle with judgment of people who make what I consider poor choices or people who do things I would not do and behave differently than me. I want to feel indignant toward them. Is that human nature? I don't know. But it's not my place, only God's. And for Pete's sake, who the heck am I to judge anyone? I've made my share of stupid choices and mistakes in my life, and by the grace of God, and His grace alone, I am saved and forgiven.

So when I feel anger rising in myself for someone who does something I don't think is right, I need to take that tendency toward judgment (much like the tendency toward worrying) and turn it into prayer. Help them, God, to get through this time, to make better choices, to see Your path for them, to do what's right.

It's so much easier to pray for those we love, our friends, our family, our children. But what about those who hurt us or those we love? We should pray for them too. Thanks, Mom, for that reminder :)

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