A Prayer to Avoid Unjust Judgment
By: Emily Rose Massey
Bible reading:
“Do not judge, lest you be judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use you will be measured” (Matthew 7:1-2ESV).
Listen or read below:
My church’s women’s ministry hosts monthly women’s gatherings where we enjoy food, fellowship, worship, teaching, and table discussions. This is truly such a sweet time with my sisters in Christ. For four years, I have had the joy and privilege of serving as table host during our discussion times after teaching. One thing I really appreciate about our women’s ministry leadership team is that they prayerfully assign each woman to a specific table, ensuring a wide variety of ages and experiences. We also all have the wonderful opportunity and blessing of meeting new women every month.
Last month I had three women at my table who were new to the church and whom I had not yet met. While teaching, one of the younger women to my right flipped through every scripture reference in her study Bible, diligently highlighting and taking notes, even though a handout containing all of this information was already provided. It is very common for women to simply follow the outline and pay attention to the slides that already have the scripture references displayed for us. My mind immediately wondered…why is she putting so much emphasis on her Bible and taking all these notes? Is she trying to impress us or does she seem more engaged than the rest of us?
It didn’t take long during our discussion for me to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, which became clear to me after she spoke a little about herself. Just two months prior, she set foot in our church for the first time…which was the very church experience of her entire life. She had also never read the Bible before. Christianity was completely new to this sweet student, who was invited to our church by one of her classmates (who happened to be a member). There was no way to avoid it; I had made an inappropriate judgment of this young woman who was so incredibly eager to know more about Jesus and His word. These are the times we pray for, and here I was making assumptions and almost missing hearing about God working in someone’s heart. I immediately remembered the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:
“Judge not, that ye be not judged: for the judgment which ye pronounce shall be judged unto you, and with the measure with which ye measure it shall be measured to you” (vv. 1-2).
Certainly, this verse is taken largely out of context and often used to condemn those who aspire to defend divine truth and denounce false teachers. Jesus is not telling us not to judge at all, especially when it comes to using our discernment. When we must judge between truth and error, evaluate sinful behavior to hold each other accountable as Christians, or share the gospel with unbelievers, righteous judgment is necessary. When we make assumptions about others or feel too judgmental and judgmental to tear others down, we need to repent of this behavior. This is the type of judgment that Jesus warns us against. If we impose a standard on others that we are not willing to follow, we are hypocrites, and that is precisely what this passage from Matthew highlights.
It’s important to remember that we cannot allow our observations of others to create an image of them in our minds, especially if we don’t know the other person at all. When we pass judgment or make assumptions about someone or their character, we hinder our relationship with that person and create a wall in our heart. We might miss out on a wonderful Christ-centered conversation or even a beautiful friendship. One of the best ways to protect our hearts from this kind of overly critical and judgmental attitude is to remember how much Christ loved us even when we were sinners (Romans 5:8). We should aspire to extend this kind of grace and kindness to others since we do not deserve so much generosity, mercy, and compassion from the Lord. Ultimately, we are all image bearers and each person should be viewed as such. May the Lord help us to turn our gaze away from ourselves and those He wants us to reach and show His love to…without unjust judgment.
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father,
I absolutely do not deserve your great mercy and compassion. How could I be selfish enough to keep this love to myself and hide it from others? I repent of being unnecessarily critical and judging others, sometimes even assuming motivations or personality based on a few interactions or observations. You created each of us and you long for us to know your love. Help me to be the bearer of this love and this light for the world. When I am tempted to unfairly view others in a negative light, convince my heart of its selfish and selfish ways. I long to walk humbly and mercifully, just like You.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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