Conflict Among Brothers

It's one thing to have to deal with conflict, but it is quite another to have to deal with slander and betrayal by one you thought was a close friend. And the pain grows when this one is not only a close friend, but a believer with whom you work and pray with in the church. In those times we all begin to feel like David when he prayed, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest" (Psalm 55:6).

Conflict among and between friends in the church is a very bitter pill to swallow. It seems but natural in those times to want out, even to long for death and the joys of heaven. Short of that, I've prayed for the LORD to take me to another town, among another people. That, however, only increases the pain, for then I would have to deal with the loss and support of other dear and close friends.

There once was a time in my life when this prayer for wings like a dove filled my heart. I did not want to abandon my wife and children. I did not want to leave my friends who were so precious to me, but I wanted out, I wanted to escape somehow. I wanted rest. I wanted to go home at night and not have to discuss the conflicts with my wife or burden my children with the anger and disappointment that never left me. I wanted to smile and not have to pretend. I wanted to laugh and really feel happy. But it was not to be. The wings of a dove were not mine to have.

What does one do in times such as this? How does one survive? The prayer of Jesus sustains us all in such times. He anticipated that this very thing would happen to him when his dear and close friend Judas would betray him. Once, when many disciples rejected him, Jesus said, "Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil" (John 6:70-71). Later, while the disciples were sharing the Passover on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus said to Judas, "What you are going to do, do quickly" (John 13:27).

As always, Jesus knows and understands what we must at times endure. He knows in His heart the pain of being slandered and betrayed by close friends. He knows the longing for the wings like a dove and the passionate desire for rest. Yet it is through us that He brings His Word and shares forgiveness and compassion.

So our High Priest prays, "I am no longer in the world, but they are, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. . . I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one" (John 17:11-15).

If you are dealing with such matters or ever have to, take Jesus' prayer to heart. His prayers are ever heard by the holy Father. And while you remain in this world and find you must continue in the vocation and calling assigned to you, the same Father will give you the inner peace and strength to endure the conflict and continue. Here again are the words of David.

"Cast your burden on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved" (Psalm 55:22).