Praying for My Friends
"After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him twice as prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before." Job 42:10What a conclusion to this book! After everything Job has encountered, experienced and endured, he "prays for his friends." I find this remarkable. Job goes right to God in heartfelt conversation and intercedes for them. Then Job gets blessed.
Prayer is a great gift to give to a friend. Jesus exhorts us to give it as a gift to our enemies. In this book of Job, the friends had offered lots of advice. I wonder how many times I have been an unsolicited advice-giver when all my friend wanted was someone to listen and then to ask God for His advice.
Even now I am prompted to pause, think of my friends - and collectively bring them all before my Father - asking Him to bless each and every one of my friends. For those in need of advice, I pray that the Spirit of wisdom would come to them. For those in need of comfort, that the Comforter would be present today. For those in need of healing, that the Great Physician would heal in His way. I pray that my friends would encounter God's love today.
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