3:266 – Pray For Those Who Can Not See

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Setting

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, which sometimes I wish I was, you have seen how divided we are. If you don’t believe what someone believes 100%, you are evil. If you vote a different way, you are in league with the devil. We all have our opinions and hold them very dear. Some are based in scripture, some in faith, and some in experience.

Lately, I have found myself not engaging in certain debates as you can’t win an emotional argument with logic. I have also seen that words won’t change opinions. Instead of getting angry, instead of turning away, I am turning to prayer.

God is all powerful. He can open our eyes, change our hearts, help us see nuance, and live closer to what he wants. I can’t do it, but he can.

Scripture

• Exodus 23:5 – If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.
• Romans 12:14 – Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.
• 1 Peter 3:9 – Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.

Reflection

Being angry is easy. Retreating to your corner and echo chambers is easy. Looking at someone who you disagree with love and understanding is hard. Getting on your hands and knees and praying for God to open their eyes is even harder. We will never agree on everything. We often wear rose-tinted glasses that only show us our opinion. It leads us to be hypocritical. I can attest that I have looked at two situations as different when actually they are related.

Prayer is powerful. It our way of communicating with God what we believe is important and asking for His intervention. When we get on our knees and pray for those we disagree with, it shows our open heart. It also shows that we are loving God and loving his people.

Lately, I have had to silence my voice to late God’s voice shine through. He does that through me when I pray. He answers prayers.

Let us stop demonizing, repaying evil with evil, and turning to one of our most powerful tools: prayer.

Challenge

Is there someone in your life who you believe can’t see the truth? Maybe they are misusing God’s word. Maybe they can’t see their own hypocrisy or their own sin. Rather than fight them, love on them. Pray for them continuously.

Prayer

Father God, help us to truly love each other. It’s easy to love when someone agrees with us. It is much harder when they don’t. Help us to see our own hypocrisy when we repay close mindedness with closemindedness. We are far from perfect. Give us the determinination and tact to silence our voice and let your voice shine through.

Lord, help those who don’t see you clearly to see you. Be with those who use you as a weapon and not as love and forgiveness. Remind us that you are the Lord of Lords, the king of kings, and surpass all human laws. We love you Lord and seek your guidance and blessing on all of your children. Amen.