Psalms – Prayers of Honesty and Praise
You know that person at work that irritates you just with the sound of their voice because of the negativity that flows from their lips? Or that person who is a “yeah, but…” to every idea you have for solutions to problems? Or the one who smacks his lips at lunch? Are you getting that feeling in the pit of your stomach even now as you think of those who irritate you? Did you know that you probably irritate someone just as bad? Uh, oh.
ALL of us have something that we do that irritates someone else but do we stop loving them? I have a feeling, since none of us are perfectly perfect in every way (Mary Poppins, we are not) that sometimes we do stop relating to them in loving ways. We might even talk about their habits behind their back. That’s called gossip and it is a sin. We might think less of them and don’t invite them to the work we are doing or to our homes. In that way we devalue them as humans. This breaks God’s heart when we do this to each other.
Jesus really nails us when he says when you do these things to the least of these, you are doing it to me. Wait, what?! YES, every time we gossip or put down another human God has created we are doing it to Jesus. How we treat others is a direct correlation to how we treat God. Stop and think about that for awhile. Take all the time you need. I am.What to know how to turn this irritation to God around? Love God. Love others they way HE love us. Unconditionally, warts, irritating habits and all. Just love. And thats, not all…live your love for others out loud by living in unity. God blesses when we live in love and unity with each other for we are all his kids.
As parents, it grieves us when our children don’t get along, right? It’s even more so with God. Quarreling among his kids breaks His heart. Jesus, our advocate, feels the blows of hate, discord, gossip and put downs just as much as the person you are dishing it out to in your world. Yikes.
Proof is in our next psalm…(as well as many other places in God’s Word.)
Psalm 133, The MessageA Pilgrim Song of David
1-3 How wonderful, how beautiful,
when brothers and sisters get along!
It’s like costly anointing oil
flowing down head and beard,
Flowing down Aaron’s beard,
flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.
It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon
flowing down the slopes of Zion.
Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing,
ordains eternal life.
Dear Lord,
We repent of thinking less than about our fellow brothers and sisters, wives and husbands, kids, coworkers, co-volunteers in your church body, leaders, associates, store workers, those who disagree with us, anyone who we think is unworthy of our love. Help us to love each other on this earth like you love us…without any conditions. I love you, Lord with all that is in me. Help me to love others they way I love you and especially that way you love me.
In Jesus Name, Amen
