When You Find Yourself A Little Critical

Pray for one another.
— James 5:16

Some people find fault like there is a reward for it. Not Oswald Chambers (1874-1917). Chambers, whose devotional classic My Utmost For His Highest is available in forty languages, writes:

When we discern that other people are not growing spiritually and allow that discernment to turn to criticism, we block our fellowship with God. God never gives us discernment so that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.

Praying for one another is the Christian's duty:

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. James 5:15-17 ESV

Criticism is always easier than prayer. You may not feel like interceding, but don't let your feelings dictate your fervor. Pray anyway.  

We must never wait until we feel like praying before we pray for others. Prayer is like any other work; we may not feel like working, but once we have been at it for a bit, we begin to feel like working. We may not feel like practicing the piano, but once we play for a while, we feel like doing it. In the same way, our prayer muscles need to be limbered up a bit and once the blood-flow of intercession begins, we will find that we feel like praying.  Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

Do you find yourself a little critical? Pray.

Who needs that prayer today?