Pray for your Enemies

Matthew 5:43-48
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

As long as we are living on earth we will occasionally bump up against people we name "enemies". We pray for safe passage through days and nights...and protection from those who would harm us. Usually we seek to avoid dangerous situations and aggressive people. But Jesus says, "Pray for your enemies"...

As we pray for people who have the potential to undermine our peace and wholeness in any way, we hold them before God...the giver of all that is Good. If you have ever been met by unimaginable "good" when you were in the throes of your own darkness (yes...even the kindest of us has occasional moments of bitterness, resentment or downright meanness) you know how that kind of experience magnifies your awareness of your folly. Although our responses vary from repentence to denial, the point is the same. Good draws out and (ultimately) casts out evil.

So....it follows that as we pray for our enemies, we are actually engaged in a form of resistance far more powerful than our own attempts at retaliation could ever be. You hold them (nomatter how unloveable they may be) before the creator and redeemer who can and will disclose all their capacity for good (and evil).

Furthermore....as we pray we are also submitting our own heart, mind and soul to God's immeasurable capacity for wholeness. We may not be able to see immediately the result of our prayer...at least not on the surface. However, at the deepest level the impact is certain to be lasting and profound, because in prayer we are drawn, as if by the force of a cosmic magnet, into the heart of God.

Pray for your enemies....those closest to you and those on the other side of the world. It is your sure defense.