And Saul eyed David from that day on.
1 Samuel 18:9
Father, there will always be people who will be giving me the “side eye”. They will always be able to find some fault with me, whether it is how I dress, how I speak, how I act, what I like or dislike – the list will go on. There will be nothing I can do to either please them or show them that I am not a threat to them. They will just have it set in their mind that I am their enemy.
I pray today for three things regarding these folks.
First, don’t allow me to lose any sleep over their dislike for me. I tend to be very consumed in trying to win folks over. Some folks just can’t be won. Give me wisdom and discernment so that I understand that there is nothing I can do make them like me; that it is what it is. Help me to just accept it.
But second, help me not to change how I show up because of their hangups. Don’t let me allow how they feel about me to influence how I respond to them or even feel about them. Give me the eyes of Christ that I might look upon them with love and compassion, embracing who they are to You. Remind me that I cannot control where they are so don’t get caught up in trying to win them over. Instead compel me to afford You the space to do what You do. And if it is Your will to bring reconciliation, help me to trust that You will do it.
And finally, remind me to pray for them continually, not putting them out of my mind, relegating them to that place where we typically put folks when we tell them to just get over it. Instead, compel me to place them at the foot of Your throne, to be exposed to Your Spirit of love, that their wounds might be healed and their issues dealt with. And if I have done anything that is the source of their feelings, give me spiritual insight, wisdom and humility to confess it, asking their forgiveness prayerfully. Give me the spiritual humility to admit when I am wrong and to love deep enough that my focus is always on winning over a brother and sister in love to Your glory in Jesus’ Name.