BRING FORTH YOUR STRONG REASON

DAY 62

Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Whenever a case exists in the hands of an accuser, the recommendation Jesus offers is for us to ‘quickly come to terms’. In other words, to find common ground. This is often achieved through negotiation: accepting terms from, or offering  something that might interest the person accusing.

As pleasant as this sounds, when negotiating with those who do not share or have respect for the values and virtues you hold, the things requested for at the negotiation table might put you off. What do you then do if the matter advances into the hands of a judge?

Whenever you stand before a judge, what you need is not the skill for negotiation, but that of litigation. A judge has nothing to hear about what you have to offer, you come with evidence that will survive intense scrutiny. In Isaiah 41:21, we read “Present your case,” says the LORD. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob.” Those are the words you will hear from a judge.

That is why even in our prayer, we pray the word of God back to Him because they hold strong reasons that can advance our cause. Let us not be armed only with skills for negotiation, but be prepared for litigation too. On any day, we might fail to settle differences through negotiation, so we need to be also armed to litigate.

#sly