By Pastor Dave
Years ago, I worked in a facility and managed two departments. The Vice President over my division was a difficult person. He had a big ego and a temper. He enjoyed talking down to people. He was difficult to work under. He also played office politics very well. If you were not on his preferred list it was not a good thing. No matter how well you ran your departments he would always have an issue about something. He was a source of many of my prayers. I prayed about him almost daily and during the day, I prayed, “God, help me with him. Get him off my back. Help me avoid him today.”
Then one day I was talking to a manager from another division and we were discussing my division’s VP. She acknowledged how difficult he can be. Then she said something that went down into my spirit, deep down. She said while she was praying about him, God told her to stop praying about him and start praying for him. That hit me like a rocket. All this time, I had been whining in my prayers about him and not once did I consider to pray for him. I was ashamed of my prayer life. I should have been concerned with his soul and eternity. I should have supported him in prayer. From that day on, and even today, I pray for him to get saved.
Jesus said in Luke 6:27-28 But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you.
I keep this thought in my mind whenever I am tempted to pray about someone who has been difficult to me. I focus on praying for them and not about them.
We all will have people in our lives that we will want to pray about but remember, God wants us to pray for them and not about them.