07/21/2024
WHEN HE PRAYED FOR HIS FRIENDS”
I read this verse this morning and I thought about that phrase “when he prayed for his friends”. If you know the story of Job then you know these weren’t the most loyal, stand with you through anything, sort of friends. They were judgmental, they were fickle, they were fair-weathered friends, BUT they were friends nonetheless.
At Job’s lowest point they were quick to speak and slow to listen. They harshly judged without seeing the complete plan and purpose of God. It’s easy to look at them harshly but how many times are we guilty of the very same thing? I know I have been in times past. I may not post or speak aloud my personal judgment but I have held it’s position privately just the same and how many times have I judged the person, the situation, the circumstance, harshly, quickly and without mercy. Whether I’ve spoken it or not, God knew the position (condition) of my heart.
I’ve also been on the other side of this quick, harsh, false judgment and gossip, slandering pretense. It’s hurtful, painful & not of God on either accounts.
But Job at his lowest began to pray for his fair weathered friends. Personally, I wasn’t always faithful in my prayer time and personal Bible Study but about 15 years ago God got a hold of my heart and gave me a desire to go deep in our relationship. Deeper than my college Theology classes, deeper than all the years of ministry training and discipleship. Personally deep in my walk with Him. Now my day isn’t complete until we’ve had this time together.
But again even this morning God continues to grow me.
“When he prayed for his friends”. I began to commit time to pray for those friends like Job. Those ole boys who may have judged me too quickly, gave up on me long ago, or didn’t see what God was doing. I began to truly care and pray for success in their lives and for God to prosper them in a powerful way for His glory!
Yeah I’ve lost a lot over the years, yeah we’ve suffered, and we to have felt the loneliness of abandonment and wrongful, hasty judgments. But we’ve also felt the refreshing wind of the Holy Spirit as he does a renewing, a restoring, a rebuilding, a making ALL THINGS NEW like never before in our lives and ministry that only God can receive the credit for!
I can’t explain away that sort of blessing that we are living in but I can say.
“When he prayed for his friends the Lord gave Job twice as much as before”
