Prayer changes us. Spending time in God’s word is essential, going to church is vital, but nothing has the power that prayer does. There are so many avenues that prayer can be used to affect our heart. We can go to God and ask for forgiveness, give Him thanks for all of our blessings, and we spend time in worship to settle the restless soul. There is another area where prayer changes us that we learn from Job today. When we pray for those we disagree with God changes us from the inside out.
Job 42:10-11
And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil[b] that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.
Significant Change
There a very few people who have suffered more than Job. He lost everything, including his children. Through it all, he remained faithful to God even when his wife told him to curse God and die. In the end, God restored everything to Job but not before he went through a significant change.
Change from the Inside Out
God had Job pray for the friends who tore him down. Imagine listening to your close friends tell you that everything that went wrong with you was your fault. Most of us wouldn’t want anything to do with them, but Job was obedient and prayed for them. In return, God gave him a double blessing. Prayer changes us more than it turns the other person.
Softens Our Heart
When we pray for those in our lives, we may never see anything happen in their lives, but we do notice a change in our hearts. God softens our heart when we lift others up. We become more sensitive to what they are going through. Job and his buddies never agreed on anything, and they didn’t leave on the best of terms, but Job’s fortunes were restored not because he endured the testing of Satan but when he prayed for his friends.
Prayer Changes Us
Being willing to pray for people we disagree with is a huge step for most Christians because it will be our friends and family who we will have disagreements with more than anyone else. If we can’t pray for them then every time we see them it will be awkward and uncomfortable. When we pray for them, it allows us to love them even though we don’t agree. Prayer changes us more than it will ever change the other person.