Tuesday, August 9, 2011

 

Pray For Your Enemies

“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” -- Matthew 5:44

Who are your enemies? Who wants to hurt you and harm you? Who wishes bad things would happen to you? If you can’t think of someone, count yourself fortunate. Most of us have a list and that’s pretty sad.

It might be a co-worker who’s jealous and afraid that you will somehow diminish his/her position. Or that person may want your job or believe that you’re standing in their way for a promotion. This type of vicious competition only hurts everyone involved, including the employer.

Some enemies seem more natural, if there is such a thing. Your ex-spouse wishes you would just go away. There are constant fights over the kids, spousal or child support, and perceived wrongs. Then all the extended family gets involved. You just wish everyone would get along and get over it. Nobody wins with all the constant bickering

And let’s not forget your family. They can be the worst because they have the ability to hurt you the deepest. We don’t often think of family members as being enemies but they can be. When someone seeks to hurt you, they’re your enemy. When someone puts you down and tells lies about you, they’re your enemy. Having a family tie doesn't change that fact.

But love them anyway. That’s what Jesus told us to. We’re to pray for those who hurt us and would destroy us if they could. We’re to forgive. We’re to give them as many chances as it takes for God to, hopefully, change their hearts.

 “If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.” -- Matthew 5:46-47

Jesus never said following Him would be easy. Honestly, it’s difficult to pray for people who hurt you. It’s hard to forgive, especially when you know they’re probably going to do it again. Yet, that’s what Jesus tells us to do.

There have been times when I’ve had to force myself to pray for my enemies. I’ve had to tell God I was praying for them in protest. They didn’t deserve my forgiveness. And, yes, He reminds me that I don’t deserve His forgiveness either.

Then a funny thing starts to happen. The longer I pray, the calmer I feel. His peace fills me and my prayer turns more sincere. I do want good to surround those who wish bad things for me. I want them to know Jesus, really and truly in their hearts, so they can understand that life isn’t about being first or best. I want them to believe that you don’t need to knock someone else down to build yourself up.

So, pray for your enemies. Do good to those who would harm you. Do it again and again, for however long it takes for them to understand that love matters more than anything else.