04. Pray for MY Enemies

 


God’s Bucket List for You, part 7

 Introduction to the series, click here

Introduction

Prayer is one of the easiest things we can do, as a Christian, and yet it is sometimes the one activity we don’t do enough of in our daily routine. For some it’s prayer before each meal and before going to bed.

Speaking to God should be done more often throughout the day. In addition to praying for our food, and the things we have, we should also pray for your friends, family, loved ones, etc.

However, for our bucket list, God also wants us to pray for His enemies. That’s right! And this will be one of the hardest things on the list to do.

 

From the Sermon on the Mount

In Matthew 5:43-45 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

This shows that God does not show partiality, and neither should we. When He sends rain upon the earth, everyone benefits from it whether they are righteous or not. He doesn’t pick and choose who will get rain and who won’t. When we pray, we should pray for all mankind; including those who have wronged us or others.

 

Some New Testament Examples

Jesus on the Cross—We should all be familiar with the crucifixion scene, and the final words uttered by our Lord and Savior. But did you ever wonder what he meant when He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)? If Jesus, being deity, can forgive people of their sins, then why didn’t He forgive these people?

The answer is that these people weren’t going to repent of what they were doing. Instead, He asks God to forgive for what they are doing. Even though He knows it has to be done, He also knows that these people won’t understand it until after His resurrection and ascension (Acts 2:36-38).

When Stephen was Martyred—At the conclusion of Stephen’s oration, and when he was cast outside and stoned to death, he said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:59-60). Those who killed him were stiff-necked individuals (vs. 51-52) who didn’t want to hear their own history. He prayed to God for their deliverance as they were ignorant to the truth.

 

We Can be Better

The way we react to situations; positive or negative, shows the kind of person that we are. Most will react to bad situations in a negative fashion making the situation worse. Even when dealing with those we consider to be an enemy, if we “take the high road” we can defuse the situation before it gets worse.

As Christians, we should be better in handling bad situations. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul said, Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:16-18).

He concludes his thought in verses 20-21, Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Be the better person by helping someone in need even if that person has wronged you. Rise above the situation and show that you don’t hold a grudge.

 

Conclusion

When pray for our enemies, we pray for them to obtain a heart of understanding. This way they just might take time to read the bible and see that they are not a Christian or haven’t been living their life the right way. If they know you’re a Christian, they just might turn to you and seek assistance in understanding the scriptures. Remember, an enemy today can become a brother, or sister, in Christ tomorrow.

 

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