A Prayer to Stop Mourning People Who Let You Down
By Meg Bucher
"You have mourned long enough for Saul." 1 Samuel 16:1 NLT
God places people in our lives purposefully. We are not meant to live alone. However, we were also never meant to loft any human relationship over the one we have with our Father, God. In the verse above, God pretty much tells Samuel to get over the fact Saul has disappointed his expectations and move on. Has God ever bluntly told you to move on from someone who has let you down?
"Now the LORD said to Samuel, 'You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.'" 1 Samuel 16:1 NLT
The word for mourned in this passage of Scripture means to mourn and lament. Those words carry a dramatic undertone! Mourn is to express such sorrow as if someone has died; lament is feeling grief, sorrow, or regret. I would love to label Samuel overdramatic, but I have felt this way over a friend who has devastated me with disappointment. Dramatic, I know! But that's how it feels. Regret is a terrible emotion, circling sorrow, remorse, fault, and disappointment. It's a vicious cycle we can really get stuck in!
Samuel did snap out of it and moved on to obey God and anoint David as the next king. David looked nothing like King Saul nor someone the people would pick. But that is the heart of God. When someone disappoints us, it hurts. When a close friend, one we thought would stick closer than a brother, betrays us – it's a tough pill to swallow. God will snap us out of our mourning when the time is right, and if we obey Him, we will find another friend. On the other side of heartache, we are one lesson closer to the person we are becoming in Christ. God prepared David to be king through suffering (ESV Global Study Bible). When someone disappoints us, we have to look in the mirror and realize we have fallen short and disappointed people. Jesus promised:
"I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27
The world will not tell us to forgive and pray for the person who disappointed us. But Jesus does. I don't know about you, but I'll take the peace that surpasses all understanding and choose to look confidently ahead, knowing God is the guardian of my soul. I will anticipate the friendships to come expectantly and refuse to look back.
Let's Pray:
Father,
It's so hard to forgive people who have disappointed us. We remember their lack of loyalty whenever we see them, and it hurts! But God, we trust You to guide us through the process of forgiveness and choose to leave reconciliation in Your hands. If You call us to snap out of it and move on, we will! Please teach us how to pray for our enemies, and love those who have hurt us, God. We can only do it through the power of Your Holy Spirit in us, through Christ Jesus. We are so thankful for our salvation, God! Without it, we would be a mess of mourning, lament, regret, and disappointment. Instead, we can hand it all over to You, obey Your wisdom, and walk in Your will. God, thank You for guarding our souls! Thank You for loving us and filling the gap of our grudges with Your love until our humanity catches up with our obedience! Because even when we want to obey and forgive …even when we know we have to move on and let go … it's tough for us, God! You are patient, kind, and compassionate with our hearts, and we love You so much for it. You are everything we need. Don't let us get trapped in the King Saul relationships in our lives, God. Let us know when it's time to move on and let go graciously. We love You so much, God! Thank You for easing the pain of disappointment as only You can. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/MarioGuti
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