Thus we should pray as much, if not more, for those we despise. By blessing those who curse us, it is like pouring hot coals upon their heads.
As for God taking Andrews life. God knows the day we will be born and the day we will die. Andrew was destined to die today, whether he was angry with the left, or if he was a preacher speaking to children in a Sunday school class who had no knowledge of politics. Our allotted time in this world cannot be extended by anything we do, just the quality of life we live.
Well, there was one man who was granted an extension, but considering the troubles caused by the extension, we should take a lesson and be careful what we ask god for. The people of Judea would have been much better off if Hezekiah had died when he was originally scheduled to die, Please indulge me as I share the following;
King Hezekiah, was pious man who reverently listened to his relative the famous prophet Isaiah. The Northern kingdom had already been taken into captivity by the Assyrians around 722 BC, 7 years before Hezekiah became king of Judea the Southern kingdom. Most of his reign was markedly better than most other Kings the Southern Kingdom had.
Then after his cousin, Isaiah, informed him that he would soon die, he appealed to God, saying:
"Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight."The prophet Isaiah had not yet left the city, when he was told by God that he heard Hezekiah's prayer and wanted Isaiah to give the king His answer;
"Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years."
Hezekiah then married a young Phoenician princess named Hephzibah who did not worship the One True God as Hezekiah did. She bore him a son and that child became king when he was but twelve years old. Under his mothers influence, he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. Ruling for 55 years Manasseh would turn the hearts of the people against God
Among the many evil things he did was to rebuild the very temples to false gods his father had removed from the site of Judea. Inside the Temple Solomon built for God, Manasseh put altars for the Phoenician god Astarte and Asherah poles. These poles were phallic symbols set in stone bases for pornographic decorations while young boys and girls would be used for the sexual pleasures of the adults who came in to worship false gods inside the true God's Temple.
He also practiced augury, necromancy, witchcraft, divination, all while consulting mediums and false prophets. These mediums and prophets were appointed to high positions of authority over the people when Manasseh replaced his fathers faithful and Godly cabinet advisers with them.
Along with his fathers advisers, thousands of other righteous men and prophets of God were murdered. The most notable of these prophets was Isaiah, who was sawed in two when he was found hiding from Manasseh inside a hollow log. As if all that and more were not bad enough, he also sent several of his own sons through the fire in Baals Temple while they were still alive in the Valley of Ben Hinnom (2 Chronicles 33:6)
Interestingly, Manasseh is often times used for sermons on finishing strong based on Hebrews 12:1-4, because later in his life he would humble himself before God. He would remove all the evil temples from the land and even cleansed Solomon's Temple. Despite his monstrous wickedness, the Lord was still Manasseh's God. Though anger swept across God's face, he knew Manasseh would repent of his evil and end up being saved. So while Hezekiah's prayerful desire to live longer was granted, it would be the reason one of the most evil men ever ruled as King of the Southern Kingdom. Yet, we will still meet Manasseh one day in heaven.
That is why we pray for for both our loved ones and those we would rather hate. Regardless of how wicked a man, or woman is, they can still be forgiven. Maybe it was the hate Andrew held for liberals that eventually weakened his heart and thus killed him, we will never really know. However, the Lord does tell us that the hatred we hold inside against others, very well could be our doom.
Imagine trying to love a man like Manasseh, if all you knew about him was the evil he did. By today's standards, he was just as evil, if not more so, than Hitler, Stalin, or Mao was.
Sorry for the long winded comment, but I get on a roll sometimes, and God really put me on a roll.