Daredevil Mom posted a quick note to ask for the prayers of her readers in behalf of her friend. No details were shared, but this friend has need of divine help (I happen to know the situation and I will be adding my prayers). What touched me was that within moments, one of her readers responded that she would pray for this person, even though the reader had no idea what was needed nor even the person's name.
I've written before that we are all part of the family of God -- He is our Father and we are all brothers and sisters in a very real way. Of course, we would pray for our sister, and do anything else in our power to help her, since we love her as a brother or sister would. By the same token, our hearts are grieved by the actions taken against our sister by a man who has been cruel and devilish. This man is also our brother. And while his actions have been those of a monster, we should pray for him too. We should pray that he will find repentance and forgiveness, even if we know that his actions are dark and sinister.
I have always said that I am glad that I am not the ultimate judge. Part of me would like to see justice pronounced upon this man -- and by justice I mean pain equal to what he has caused to others. But I realize even as I write such thoughts here, that to demand justice for him would be to deny him the mercy Christ freely gives to all of us. I am in no position to condemn this man and probably have need to repent of such an evil thought. For since I am not God, it is not my place to take away from one of His children the gift of life and agency He has given us all.
Lucifer's plan was to usurp God's domain. God the Father alone has the authority to judge His children. He gives that authority to Christ, who sits upon the judgement seat and offers to us the opportunity to repent. If we accept Christ's atonement, His mercy, then He pleads for us when we stand before the Father, humbly asking to return to Their presence. To take upon myself the role of judge and deny another what I myself need in so much abundance would be a grievous error indeed. Thus, I am glad that the judgement is not my responsibility -- by myself, without divine intervention, I would probably be a poor judge.
But back to my original thoughts (the blog is titled "musings" -- I tend to ramble in my musings). DM's friends love her enough to pray for someone they do not know, but only know that this is a person that DM loves. My friend's friends are my friends and my sister's sister is my sister, too. Well, of course she is our friend and sister, if not by blood, then by spirit. And if all of DM's blog readers pray for "DM's friend" what miracles could occur? If mountains can be moved by the faith of one, could whole worlds be shaken by the combined faith of a few? If all of the church members prayed for the same thing, with faith that their prayers would be answered, would that thing come to pass?
I'm inclined to think that it would, for better or for worse. Like any parent, when all of your children ask fervently for the same thing, are you not inclined to grant them their desires? And especially if their desires are the same as your desires? But that must be the key -- do we ask amiss? We won't if we follow the promptings of the Spirit and ask only for that which needs to come to pass. Why then do we need to ask at all if we are only asking for that which our Father already intends to provide? The answer I think lies in the truth that this life is for OUR perfection. We must learn the lessons and one of those lessons is how to listen to the Spirit. The power that comes from aligning our lives with the will of the Father is greatly untapped, in my opinion.
And what if so many, while only a few, were to listen to the Spirit and then pray for their brothers and sisters? Could the world be improved and peace finally reign? If we turn our hearts to each other, will our hearts be increased in love? Will we finally see one another as we truly are? Maybe I am asking for the promised utopia of Christ's Millennial Reign. But could we find some peace, if not worldwide, then in pockets here and there, by just praying for each other, even when we only know that our unknown brother or sister is in need? If we find ourselves praying for even those we don't know have we attained a new level of love and spirituality? Wouldn't we be closer to being ready for Christ's coming?
And thus it is that I pray tonight for DM's friend. And I pray in thankfulness for DM's readers who love DM enough to add their prayers to hers and mine. And if you don't mind, I pray for you, dear reader. You too are my sibling and if for nothing else, I'm grateful for your attention. Maybe you can join me in prayer for DM's friend. I don't care if you are a member of my church or another or don't belong to any church. God is still our Father and He listens to our prayers.
