Prayer Warriors

Prayer Warriors

You have been deceived by your own pride. . . . You should not have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands. You should not have rejoiced when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune. You should not have spoken arrogantly in that terrible time of trouble. Obadiah 1:3, 12

It’s easy to rejoice in the misfortune of someone who has wronged us. Praying for and blessing those who persecute us, as we’re called to do in Matthew 5:44 and Romans 12:14, certainly aren’t the natural responses.

When you have a bitter rivalry in sports, it isn’t natural to turn around and think you should now pray for the well-being of your adversaries. Rodney Harrison and I faced off several times in crucial games when he was with the New England Patriots and I was with the Colts. Now, however, we’re on the same team, working on the show Football Night in America for NBC.

I wish I could look back and say I prayed for him then the way I’m praying for him now. It’s natural now that I know him personally and see him regularly. We are part of each other’s lives, and I have a much better understanding of him and who he is. But we’ve got to work hard to see that the people we disagree with have the same good qualities we do. I should have realized that was true about Rodney even when he and his teammates had the upper hand on the football field so many times.

In his twenty-one-verse book in the middle of the Bible, the prophet Obadiah clearly proclaims that even if we feel the situation warrants it, God does not want us to relish the misfortune of others. At the time Obadiah wrote this, the descendants of Jacob and Esau were still having disputes, and the Edomites (Esau’s people) rejoiced in the fall of Jerusalem (Jacob’s people). Obadiah sternly warned the Edomites that their own end was approaching because of their attitude—namely, their desire for revenge, their pride, and their rejoicing in the suffering of their enemies.

Have you ever found yourself relishing a person’s misfortune, someone who has wronged you in some way? Think seriously about praying for a change in your heart and being able to ask that person how you can pray for him or her.

Uncommon Key > Are there people you aren’t getting along with today? Is there something specific you can do to soften your heart toward them and then pray—meaningfully—for them?