You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Matthew 5:43-44
Seriously? Love who? Pray for who? Years ago, when I chose to follow the Lord and His call on my life, my aunt looked at me and said, “Oh Tommy, I wish you wouldn’t do that.” This response left me very confused. I asked her why she wasn’t happy like everyone else in my family and celebrating with me. Did I tell you she was a ministry assistant at a local church? She told me that people in the church were some of the most hurtful people I would ever meet. They would say horrible things about me and that I was in for a lifetime of disappointment and regret.
Enemies. I would have enemies in the church. She experienced it first hand and found it to be a challenging calling. To be honest, over my 30 years of ministry, I have only met a handful of people who came across as enemies to me. And the church where I currently serve is full of sweet and amazing people who love Jesus. I feel so blessed to be a part of a church that cares for Jesus, each other, and their pastor.
But what do we do when we come across enemies. We all have them. There are always people who you might consider to be your enemies. People who always disagree with you or hurt you. What is the cure? Prayer and love.
Pray your enemies
Praying for your enemies is not difficult at all. We mostly pray for our enemies in this way: “Dearest Lord, you know I have this one enemy in my life. I ask you today to make that person completely miserable so they will know the kind of pain they’ve caused me in my life. Hurt them as they hurt me. Make them feel the disrespect I’ve felt. Take them to the brink of death, but don’t kill them. Just scare them really good!”
Ok. Now you know that’s just an example, right? I’ve never prayed that way. But have I thought about it? I’m not going to tell you. 🙂
Retaliation prayers are prayers that ask for retribution. Jesus is not talking about these kinds of prayers in this passage. He is talking about restorative prayers.
He speaks to prayers that provide restoration in relationships.
People can disagree and still act with civility towards each other.
I know what you’re thinking. I can hear it in your head. You think that I don’t know your enemies and how much they hurt you. You’re right, but Jesus does. And He tells us to pray for them and not against them.
Love your enemies
Praying for our enemies is one thing. But now you’re asking me to love them also? Are you crazy? It’s impossible to love someone who continually persecutes me. You’re right. It’s impossible to love “those” people…without the help and encouragement of the Holy Spirit in our lives each day. It would be so easy to slip into an attitude of condemnation and self-preservation. But, Jesus says to respond differently.
When we pray for and love our enemies, people notice it. People see that we’re not always complaining about someone else. People recognize the Holy Spirit in our lives and that we’re living out the fruit of the Spirit. As Christ-followers, we should be different, and that difference should be evident to others. Even our enemies.
When is the last time you prayed for your enemies with love and compassion?