Praying For That Person

You've no doubt have one (or maybe several), that one person for whom you just don't feel inclined to pray.  They may be family or a co-worker or even a member of your church, but they have not been a friend or perhaps even friendly - this person is a burr under your saddle.  You'd rather not think of them at all, let alone pray for God to bless them.

Samuel had been Israel's prophet, priest and judge for decades.  By all accounts, he was honest, fair, faithful in his duties and committed to both God and the people of Israel.  Nonetheless, the people, wanted him replaced with a king as all the other nations around them.  He was wounded, he was devalued, he was dismissed despite all he had done for Israel.

You could imagine, as Israel chooses a king to replace Samuel, that he would feel very warm toward them, that he might not even want them to do well considering they had displaced him and rejected God, who was their true King in what was a Theocracy until this point.  But Samuel would not allow his hurt to determine his response: "Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you" (1 Sam 12:23).

It is not just the other who needs our prayers, we need to be faithful before God in our prayers, and God desires we pray for others, even when we feel they don't deserve it.  When you think about it, who does deserve God's favor?  Do you?  Really?  None of us do.  We "all sin and fall short of God's glory" (Rom 3:23).  All of us need to be forgiven, even when we feel the offense is inexcusable.  Actually, if the offense was excusable, there would be no need of  forgiveness, we would have an excuse.

So, as difficult as it may be at times, as you are praying for those you love and who love you, take time to pray for those who are hard to love and hardly love you if at all.  As Jesus commanded: "Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you" (Matt 5:44).  Jus' Sayn.