Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Pray for Criticism?

This sounds completely inverted from what a normal person would want to do, but here is what I'm pondering today:

Should I actually pray for God to bring criticism my way?

I hate criticism with everything that is in me.  I have shared publicly that I don't handle criticism well. I've learned a lot over the years.  I'm a better handler of criticism now than I used to be.  But I'm still far from perfect in this area.

I don't know anyone who likes criticism.  So the logical thing to do would be to pray for God to shield you from criticism.  Who would ever pray for God to bring criticism into your life?

Consider these words of Jesus:

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:26, NIV)

As I thought about this teaching, God brought this truth into great clarity for me.  According to Jesus, if everyone always speaks well of me, I am not standing for the truth.

Jesus said that people praised false prophets.  False prophets who said what people wanted to hear…not what they needed to hear.  False prophets who exchanged the truth of God for the approval of people.

If everyone always speaks well of me…if I am never criticized…then I am a pathetic excuse for a preacher and I am a horrible example of a man of God.

On the other hand, listen to this teaching of Jesus:

Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, becasue great is your reward in heaven.  For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23, NIV)

When we are critcized because we are following God's will for our lives, that should be a catalyst for joy. Jesus points out that people harshly criticized the true prophets of God. Prophets who were willing to tell people, not what they wanted to hear, but what they needed to hear.

Which brings me back to my original question…should I pray for God to provide criticism in my life?

Actually, I think a better way to approach it is this: pray for God to give me the courage, strength, and wisdom to live for His glory…and then view the inevitable criticism that follows as proof that I'm doing something right.