There isn’t a day that goes by now that doesn’t have an unthinkable headline hitting the news outlets. Long gone are the days that I remember as a teen when I would spend a summer afternoon lying on the front lawn of my home, along with a friend or two, looking up at the sky and pointing out the animals that we saw in the cloud formations. Life has become increasingly complicated since then, and now, no age group seems to be left out.

If I wasn’t a Christian, emotions such as rage, finger pointing, and self-righteous thinking would be normal and acceptable as I watch the world around me tumbling more and more into chaos and upside-down thinking. But, I am not “a sleeper”, I am a child of God, who knows Who is in control of it all even when it looks out of control and knows Who wins in the end. So how does a child of God manage the madness?

With these thoughts on my mind, I opened my bible this morning to the next section of reading and it was Romans 6. Romans 6:5-7 jumped out at me, especially the beginning of verse 5…

“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death…”

The word ‘likeness’ grabbed me. So I paused and asked God, “What does that mean?” Immediately the words Jesus said at His crucifixion came to mind…

“Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

The picture I saw in my mind was this - Jesus wasn’t just speaking about the two thieves that hung on the cross next to Him, nor those in front of Him who just hung Him on the cross. He was speaking about all of mankind.

If we are to be united with Him in the likeness of His death then as a child of God we are to intercede for others and ask God to forgive those who don’t even know they need forgiveness, remembering we were once a “sleeper” too. A child of God needs to show compassion and pray for those who are the “sleepers” and have not received the grace of God. We are to be an instrument of forgiveness and righteousness in the pierced hands of our Savior towards this dying world, and not the judge, jury and executioner with our thoughts and words towards those who are still asleep.

Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing. Pray for those who are causing the chaos and confusion for Jesus doesn’t want anyone to perish, and by praying for them, we can have peace in our hearts that our Father is still on His throne and in control of it all and that Jesus will be here soon.