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“Have you prayed for them?”
Really transparent moment, so be gentle...
Really transparent moment, so be gentle...
I’m an attorney. I’ve been trained to put together an airtight case and bring it before a judge to prove that I’m right. My middle name is Justin, which means “justice” and little infuriates me more than the blatant denial of justice.
For the past several weeks, I have brought my cases before God, in frustration and sometimes not-so-righteous anger, and He has repeatedly said only these five words in response— “have you prayed for them?”
I’ve ended the conversation there. I want God to affirm my anger. I want Him to agree that this group is being unfair, that group is being unreasonable, this leader is inciting, that leader is disingenuous. But He won’t help me with my labels. Just “have you prayed for them?”
God doesn’t get into the weeds of this with me. He refuses to get muddy this time. Doesn’t even look at my evidence, at least not as far as I can tell. No, He starts, instead, by cross-examining me— “have you prayed for them?”
I was being charged of an offense that I didn’t realize I was bringing before The Judge, in a trial that I didn’t even realize was my own. Finally, more recently than I care to admit, I gave up and said, “no.”
I felt God’s heartbreak as He reminded me of His character and His values. I thought of one of the most staggering about-faces in history— Saul, the ruthless persecutor of the early church, encounters Jesus and goes on to become Paul, one of the most influential Christians ever.
God asked, “which of these offenders do you want me to do that for?” My anger was suddenly placed on the scale to be weighed against God’s plan for redemption and eternity as I admitted, “none of them.”
Have we really gotten so angry with people that we spend more time sharing videos of their wrongs than we do praying for them? Are we really willing to spend more time searching the news than searching the Scriptures? We’re okay with posting and not praying? What happened to us?
Church, we know better. Let’s pray earnestly, then work practically. That doesn’t mean we don’t work like crazy to see justice come, we just need to prioritize.
God isn’t interested in talking to me about them, without first talking to me about me.
“Have you prayed for them?”
God isn’t interested in talking to me about them, without first talking to me about me.
“Have you prayed for them?”
