Listen

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Matthew 5:44-45

Think

Jesus knew we’re going to have enemies in life — people who oppose us or have done us wrong. Jesus also knew that it’s pretty easy to despise them, hold a grudge, or want to get back at them. One of the easiest things in the world is to see our enemies not as fellow human beings, but just as people who did us wrong. So Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies. They’ve hurt you deeply? Pray for them. Want revenge on them? Pray for them.

These are hard words, but praying for them can soften our hearts and help us see these people as more than just our enemies. We can begin to see them as valuable children of God, even when we may not even like them. It’s possible that the only way to truly love our enemies starts with praying for them. God loves us all — the righteous and unrighteous (because we’re all actually a mix of both). And through praying for our enemies, we can eventually come to love them as God does.

Chris Cash

Pray

Loving God, part of me doesn’t want to pray for _______ (pray for your enemies by name). Help me to see them through your eyes, to love them as you love them, even when it’s difficult to do. Amen.

Go

May you go to live a life of wisdom, prayer, and service to others.