The Power of Forgiveness (If you need to read this you probably won't want to)

You know Job, right?  I mean not personally, but you know the story of Job and I have blogged about him a few times lately.

Here's the story.   Job had a lot of cool things.   Satan tells God that Job only serves Him because Job has lots of stuff.   God tells Satan he can take it away...  to prove Job is faithful no matter what. 

Then Job whines.  A lot.  And his "friends" criticize and blame him and tell him he is a sinner.  Cuz bad things don't happen to good people.

And then Job whines some more and his friends verbally attack him some more.  And then you repeat that for a lot of chapters.

And then God comes and says, "Check out everything I made, Job?  Why are you questioning me?  Are you God"

And Job responds, and says, “you’re right, no, I'm not God.  I put my hand over my mouth."

And then Job gets his stuff back.  Right?

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!

Something else happens first.  This is chapter 42 in the message.

After God had finished addressing Job, he turned to Eliphaz the Temanite and said, “I’ve had it with you and your two friends. I’m fed up! You haven’t been honest either with me or about me—not the way my friend Job has. So here’s what you must do. Take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my friend Job. Sacrifice a burnt offering on your own behalf. My friend Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer. He will ask me not to treat you as you deserve for talking nonsense about me, and for not being honest with me, as he has.”9 They did it. Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did what God commanded. And God accepted Job’s prayer.10-11 After Job had interceded for his friends, God restored his fortune—and then doubled it! 

See what happened?  There was a step in there that we often forget.  First he had to forgive his friends and pray for them.  Interceded for them.  Help them get forgiven by God. Then he got his stuff back... doubled.

We don't know what would have happened had Job said, "no way!  I'm not going to intercede for them.  Do you see  how they treated me, God?   They get what they get!"  But what if that was the key to God's restoring and doubling his fortune?

Maybe there is something God wants to do for you… maybe He wants to give you something back  but there is someone … or a group of people … you need to forgive and pray for before He can give it to you.  

Just Sayin’.