At my secular work place, a revelation involving one of my subordinates came to light that has left my soul gasping for air. The details are not important. What is important, however, is that my boss had mentioned that this person needs our prayers.
While I agree that we all stand in need of prayer, this revelation indicated that this person was about to get everything coming to him that he deserved, including prison time. Considering the nature of his offense, his prison time is going to be very dangerous for him personally. And the truth is, I don't think he is going to be tough enough to withstand it.
Those who mention that this man needs our prayers know exactly what this man did. In fact, he turned himself in and, at last word, was working out a plea with prosecutors. Now I have heard folks who endured lengthy death watches and finally just reached a prayer "saturation" point when they finally were just prayed out because "nothing was there anymore", according to a parishioner.
So when we consider such heinous crimes as this and it is such a crime that finding compassion in one's heart when reading of such things involving strangers in the paper is very hard - if not impossible - to come by, how does one pray? For what does one pray?
Do we pray that the perpetrater finds Christ somehow in all this? Of course. Do we pray that the punishment truly fit the crime? Probably. Do we pray that somehow out of the rubble of this despair that lives will somehow be restored, especially for the victim? Absolutely.
The prayers must come because, while few of us can claim to be guilty of this person's particular crime, even fewer of us can claim complete and total innocence. And in spite of this truth, there is a greater Truth Who came to claim us for Himself. The penalty that we deserve (not past tense) has been paid.
How can we NOT pray mercy for this person and others like him?
2 comments:
Well said.
I'll pray for him right now.
Thank you, John. Truthfully, I try but it is difficult to come by.
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