Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey Him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” Exodus 5:2 NIV

Getting angry and completely bent out of shape seemed like the right thing to do considering the situation. I found myself being so angry that people weren’t behaving and responding the way I thought they should. Why couldn’t everyone just agree and get along?!

However, I stepped away and realized that a key element was missing. We were all so different and couldn’t see eye-to-eye because we weren’t in agreement with the will of God. Not only were we not on the same page, we weren’t even reading the same Book. The Truth of Scripture wasn’t being lived out, applied or walked out.

My anger softened and I could begin to pray for those with whom I was in deep disagreement. We still don’t agree and we definitely don’t even believe the same way about the Lord. But I can pray for those with whom I’m having serious issues.

Moses and Aaron encountered hard hearted Pharaoh and they could not find level ground. Their request for him to let their people (the Israelites) go was met with a firm “no” and they must have felt very discouraged. But, it’s helpful to realize that there was a reason for their unmet request. If they had expected Pharaoh to act godly they were going to be terribly disappointed.

Pharaoh even leveled with them and said, “I do not know the Lord...” We can not expect godly behavior from people who do not know the Lord. We will get frustrated, hurt and deeply disappointed if we expect non-Christians to behave in a Christ-like manner.

Those who know the Lord will definitely not be perfect, but we have the advantage of being able to approach them as brothers and sisters in Christ and ask for forgiveness and pray together.

Father God, Relationships are hard and getting along with people can be challenging.  Please help me to know when to pour out grace, when to set healthy boundaries and when to realize that those I’m dealing with don’t know You and aren’t held to godly standards. Show me Lord, how to pray through the offense when those who are not walking in Your way hurt me and treat me unfairly. Help me to be Christ-like and loving so that others see You in me so my actions reflect You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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