“Showing partiality is not good, because some people will turn on you even for a piece of bread” (Proverbs 28:21 God’s Word).

Is anyone innocent of showing partiality?

We pray for our family to have travelling safety, healing from illness, blessings from God. Do we do the same for neighbours?

The saying goes, “It’s not what you know, but whom you know.” How many times have you received (or given) a job because you knew someone involved? Can you honestly say the best qualified person actually got the position?

My wife applied for a job and found out dozens had applied. How does the person hire from such a range of choices?

heal?

heal? (Photo credit: atomicity)

A deeper issue comes from an acquaintance of mine who talked about the illness of their grandson. They decided not to pray for his healing any more than for the healing of all in the hospital. The reason showed great moral fibre and a keen spiritual sense. “Why should God heal my grandson and not someone else?”

Partiality shows a selfishness that looks for personal advantage. It narrows the universe to your circle of friends and family.

True, we don’t know the specific needs of specific people in specific places and circumstances everywhere in the world. So should our ignorance justify our demands for God’s attention to our problem? What if my problem seems big to me, but in the grand scheme of the universe it ranks way down the list?

Nothing in me says not to pray. What does rise up from deep inside raises the question of, “What do I pray for?” I have held for a very long time that our prayers often show our arrogance and childish demands more than humility and what the Bible expects, “Wait with hope for the Lord. Be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Yes, wait with hope for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14 God’s Word).

So, how do we serve God faithfully without showing partiality? Right now I have more questions than answers.

If you can contribute some ideas or experiences to help clear this up, I invite you to leave a comment (or more). Or am I the only one who thinks about this issue?