Unexpected partners

Jesus says in this Sunday’s Gospel reading that whoever is not against us is for us. The reality of this often takes us by surprise in unexpected partners. 

On the one hand, it can seem like someone is against us when really, they are not. For example, when someone speaks a truth that we don’t want to hear, that person seems to be our enemy while in fact they are God’s chosen prophet. 

At other times, people side with us but only for their own agenda; they’re not interested in assisting the purposes that God has for our lives. 

And sometimes we encounter people who are doing the Lord’s work but not in the way that we expect them to, and so we assume that they are not doing what God wants them to do. Have you ever asked someone to pray for a certain intention and he/she prayed the opposite of what you intended? 

Years ago, when my husband’s company was laying off most of its employees, I asked a friend to pray for him so that he could find a new job, but she prayed instead for the company so that he wouldn’t have to leave it. My expectations were for him to find a healthier company in which to work. I didn’t like her prayer, but in the end, I realized that she was the only friend who had prayed exactly what the Lord had wanted! 

To figure out whether someone is truly against us or is, in fact, God’s instrument for us, we have to separate ourselves from the heat and frustrations of the experience and sit quietly with Jesus. After we vent to him our fears and anger and then forgive those who seem to be against us, we will be open to hearing a more divine assessment of the situation. 

Even when someone truly is acting against us, when we sit quietly in prayer, seeking a word of knowledge or wisdom from the Holy Spirit, we can discover that God is for us and that’s what matters most. He gives us encouragement and strength to endure any troubles. 

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