After Job’s so-called friends fail so miserably to comfort him in his time of need, after they criticize and malign him, God steps in. God puts them in their place for what they said and affirms that Job has spoken truth.
Then God tells the friends to prepare a sacrifice and to ask Job to pray for them.
Picture the situation. Job’s life is in a shambles; he is destitute and in pain, despising life itself. The only people who will even talk to him, attack him and his character, pulling him down even further. Then they have the audacity to ask him to pray for them!
If you were Job, how would you respond?
Praying for them would be a hard thing to do; it would be far easier to give them the payback they deserve, but not Job. In the midst of his torment, he prays for his misguided friends even though they seem to be in a much better state than he is.
God accepts Job’s prayers — and then restores his fortunes twofold.
What if Job had refused to pray for his friends, might God’s response have been different?
[See Job 42:7-10.]
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
