But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you – Matthew 5:44
“Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job”/”And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:8 & 10).
God’s request for Job to pray for his friends, the very ones who had ridiculed him, illustrated what Jesus would one day include in His sermon about praying for offenders, as per Matthew 5:44. Verse 8 also demonstrates God’s handling of Job’s friends when they are told to “offer up for yourselves a burnt offering,” and that He takes wrongdoing seriously no matter how insignificant it may appear. It ultimately led to Job’s restoration, “when he prayed for his friends,” which verse 12 summarized: “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.”
Praying for someone who has mistreated you isn’t a denial of the pain that’s been inflicted, but rather a sign that you’re trusting God to take care of the punishment. Your only responsibility is to mimic Job and watch how God rewards a heart that chooses not to be bitter or resentful.