“And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath…My servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept” (Job 42:7-8).

You might want to take a few moments to read the entire forty-second chapter of Job. What powerful and personal words from our awesome God. Following the calamity that struck Job’s life, you are well aware of his friends and their counsel. Basically they found different ways to explain to Job that his trouble was caused by his sinfulness. They said things like, “Surely God’s judgment is upon you, dear friend, because you are a lousy, no-good, scoundrel, and God is mad at you.” That may not have been their exact words, but that was pretty close to the theme of their bitter words. Now God speaks. He is the authority, and with His words, Job, His servant, is vindicated. God is angry. Really angry! His wrath is kindled upon three so-called friends. They must immediately sacrifice, and Job is to pray for them. Wait a minute. After all these three men put Job through, he is to do what? That’s right. He is to pray for them. From a human perspective, that probably would be the last thing in the world Job would want to do. That’s the key. We believers should not live from a human perspective and respond in a “Now for a little of your own kind of medicine, friend,” kind of way. When was the last time you prayed for someone who hurt you or a loved one? Wow! That is really convicting, isn’t it? More tomorrow about this.

For today: Is there someone who has hurt you for whom you should be praying?