I was taught a simple bedtime prayer as a young child. It was one repeated each night before I fell asleep. And although I knew it by rote, at times, I switched it up a bit depending upon the daytime experiences with my siblings.
The version went as follows:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord, my soul, to take.
God bless Mommy and Daddy,
John and Cathy,
Mary and Jim,
Me and everybody.
Amen.
As a little girl, I admit that part about dying before I wake and praying for the Lord to take my soul to heaven gave me a bit of pause. (Don’t worry, I refrained from teaching my own children that rather morbid version.) The funny thing was that portion of my prayer went unchanged throughout the years. It was the blessing of my siblings that sometimes got edited.
I specifically remember omitting names contingent on whether I had felt slighted by a particular sibling on any given day. If they offended me or teased me, or hurt me, I removed them from the nightly blessing. I purposefully excluded them as I rattled off benedictions for those I thought worthy of God’s grace. But for those who did not, well, they had better include themselves in their own prayers.
Sometimes righteous indignation can get in the way of logic. Not until I was older did I realize that in praying for “everybody,” my exclusion was not as effective as I thought.
I laugh at this memory when I consider how justified I felt in skipping over a blessing for my tyrannical siblings. (Because we all know siblings can sometimes be tyrants. Ask any six-year-old child.) But withholding blessing is honestly not a laughing matter, especially when we become adults.
Today I pose the question: How often do we neglect to give a blessing when it is in our power to do so?
In a world at odds with truth and kindness, we are slow to dispense grace toward those we disagree with.
Let’s be honest. It’s hard to ask God’s mercy upon people who treat Him with contempt. It’s hard to ask for grace when justice seems better served to those who rush to shed innocent blood, especially when we are the ones who have felt their anger and hatred.
But let’s not forget that mercy triumphs over judgment. It did so for me, and it wants to do so for others. Even those who do not recognize nor honor God as the Creator and King.
Yet.
There’s a lot of power in that three-letter word.
YET.
It’s tempting to think someone is beyond the reach of grace, but I would do well to open my Bible and peruse its pages, scouring it for betrayers who became the beloved of Christ. Indeed, I need look no further than the closest mirror to find an undeserving recipient of Father’s mercy.
But that’s hard to keep in mind when I feel affronted by adversaries. When I see violent behaviors poured out in the name of freedom. When rioters and thieves pillage and steal, destroying property. All while acting as though they are committing righteous acts.
When unborn babies are murdered instead of protected in the womb, it’s hard to want mercy. Justice and judgment, yes. But grace and blessing? Not so much. Not for those I deem guilty.
That is until I call to mind God’s heart for the people of this world.
All. Of. Them.
Until I remember that I am to love others as Jesus has loved me — with a love that exudes grace and blessing.
His love does not belittle or issue scathing remarks when I make a mistake. It is gracious with me when I stumble headlong into sin. It is patient when I am irritable. And it is kind in leading me back to repentance, choosing me yet again, so I can live in a close relationship with my Savior once more.
Woe to those who call good evil and evil good, yes.
But what if God wants us to issue the call to redemption before we assign a stamp of judgment?
Recently, I’ve been praying for those I would otherwise condemn. I cannot and will not call unrighteous dealings righteous. I see it as sin and name it as such. But beyond that, I desire to look at broken humans who have no knowledge of a Savior and pray for their salvation.
After all, wouldn’t that be the greatest miracle? More worthy retribution? Much better than a city set on fire and burned to the ground. To see a man or woman once separated from God now captured by grace and set free? Ransomed and covered by the same Savior’s blood poured out on my behalf.
When the very one who scorns and persecutes Jesus in the streets bows his knee and proclaims Him as Lord, all of heaven rejoices.
The question remains, do I?
Or do I revert to my childhood self and try to withhold freely giving a blessing because I have somehow forgotten it was first freely received?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
– Matthew 5:43-45, BSB
But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!
Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin . . .
– Jude 1:20-23, The Message, [emphasis mine]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR REFLECTION
Do you find it hard to pray for people when you feel at odds with them? Is the state of our world easy for you to overlook, or are you often burdened with the condition of mankind as a whole?
It can be disheartening to watch the world move further away from biblical truth over time, but we are called to remain faithful in loving others as Jesus has loved us, regardless. What does that mean for you personally? What practical ways can you begin to release blessing into the lives of those around you today?