READING: Job 40-42
It’s always fun to get to the end of the book of Job, where God honors Job’s righteous living and restores to him all that he lost. In fact, God gave him twice as much as he had before his troubles set in. The book ends with a man who lives a long life and reaps the blessings of God’s hand for multiple generations.
What catches my attention as I read the book this time, though, is God’s expectation for Job to pray for his “friends” when they offer sacrifices to God: “My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly . . . . And the Lord accepted Job’s prayer” (Job 42:8-9). The friends had been nothing but trouble to Job, but still God expected him to intercede for them. They had not spoken the truth about God. They had been unkind to Job. They had revealed their own arrogance and insensitivity. Hardly would it have been said of them that they matched Job’s uprightness, but still Job would pray for them. He interceded, and God responded.
Of course, we know that Jesus requires us to pray for those who are our enemies (Matt 5:44). It’s much easier, however, to tell others to do that than it is to actually pray for our own enemies. We expect others to be obedient, but we struggle with our own obedience. If Job could be obedient to praying for those who condemned him, I should be able to do so as well. Indeed, all believers can be so obedient because our obedience comes not from our own strength, but from the One who died for a world that would turn on Him. He models for us how to love and pray for our enemies.
ACTION STEPS:
- Pray for those people who are troublemakers in your life.
- Seek appropriate reconciliation with an enemy.
PRAYER: “God, thank You for your forgiveness and grace. Thank You that Jesus prays for me even when I struggle. Help me to pray for others likewise.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalm 1-8