A prayer for God to give you compassion to your enemies
By Jaime Hampton
Bible Reading:
“You’ve heard it was said to me, ‘I love your neighbor and hate your enemies.’ I love your enemies and you may be your father’s child in heaven. – Matthew 5:43-47 (NIV)
Listen or read:
Is there anyone in your life who considers you to be an enemy? Maybe it’s someone who consistently struggles with your beliefs, directly opposes biblical truths, or openly chuckles. It could be someone who goes to your church, your colleagues, or even your family. Some of Jesus’ most difficult teachings come from mountain sermons, including instructions to love and pray for our enemies, not just our fellow believers. One reason for this is that it sets you apart from the rest of the world. To demonstrate love that goes beyond what comes naturally to us, or beyond what is possible without the power of the Holy Spirit.
But the advantage of loving our enemies is even deeper than against the grains of the fallen world. Ephesians 6:12 says, “Because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the power of this dark world, and the spiritual power of evil in the heavenly realm.”
Like Paul, Jesus knew that those who we consider our enemies were not actually enemies. They are human, made with God’s image and loved by him, but perhaps they may be fooled, influenced, or even manipulated by our true spiritual enemies.
If we stop fighting flesh and blood, and start fighting our laps to free those captured by Satan’s lies, then something incredible will happen! Our hearts have changed from anger towards our perceived enemies to compassion, as we prayed. Our actions follow the innovative and globally changing disarming display of love. And who knows? We may discover areas that have contributed to these conflicts in relations, leading to true confessions and repentance. This is not easy. As I said before, this is one of the most difficult teachings in the Bible. But with God’s help, everything is possible.
Let’s pray:
Lord, we praise you for being an unconditional, innovative source of love. Thank you for Jesus’ example. Jesus also showed love to the very people who tortured him and crucified him. We confess that we too often declare war with the wrong enemy. We focus on fighting other people and other Christians. We pray that you will help us see all people through our eyes, even our perceived enemies. Show me how you see them: as a fellow human being made with your image. Give them a passionate desire to pray for them, and by doing it, birth love and compassion for them that leads to loving actions. We lift up the perceived enemies to you, O Lord. Remove the veil of deception from their eyes and open your heart and mind to your truth. Use us to show them the love of Jesus in a concrete way. Blessings on these people and provide all your body, mind and spirit needs. Amen.
Image credit: Istock/Getty Images Plus/Palidachan
Jaime Hampton is Christian author and co-host of the Christian Women’s Podcast of Prayer with Alana Terry. She camps with her family, drinks coffee, drinks coffee, and enjoys the crazy life that comes with being a hockey mom. You can find encouragement in a prayer life at PrayingchristianWomen.com or @prayingchristianwomen on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
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