Pray for Those Who Persecute You

Jesus said to his disciples:
“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,

 

When was the last time you prayed for someone who really hurt you?  I don’t mean the “I am ticked at you kind of hurt; but someone who really betrayed you — when was the last time you prayed for them?  We may have prayed about them — “Lord, give me patience to endure….” or asking God to give us understanding, or something like that.  Now some will say they pray for those who persecute them all the time saying prayers like “Make them nicer people; more like me” but that doesn’t count.  Besides, if this person really betrayed you all you want to do is forget them; to get them out of your life.

Prayer changes things.  That is an important concept to understand.  Prayer changes us.  Problem is most of us pray to change the situation, to change their circumstances and to change the other person and when none of that happens they stop praying.  Prayer should be like looking into a mirror helping us deal with the problems that persist in our life.  Prayer is also our effort to LISTEN to what God wants not our time to provide a shopping list of our latest fancies.  When we pray like that we realize two things:,

• One we have somehow contributed to the problem.  There is that saying “It takes two to tango.”  I know we look at our problems and the people who contribute to them and want to stand back and be the victim, the innocent who has done nothing and doesn’t deserve this persecution but that is a rare set of circumstances indeed.  We pray to help us understand what we are doing to perpetuate the problem.  Were we too demanding?  Too submissive?  Too permissive?  Too pigheaded?  You would be surprising how if we change, accept the responsibility of contributing to the problem, those who persecute us become our friends or at least good neighbors.
• Second, they may be reacting, not to you, but to ghosts of their past such as abusive parents who told them they could never be any good or lost loves and relationships.  They are afraid or in pain so they lash out in anger.  We pray to help us understand them better with the hopes we can tolerate a little more of their hostile nature and be patient with their impatience.

I am not suggestion that you put yourself in harms way or allow an abusive situation to continue.  Standing up for ourselves is just as important lesson to learn.  Being our own advocate doesn’t have to be a hostel take over of the situation but a quiet but firm “no”.  And yes, I do know there are times and individuals who, through no fault of your own, are just acting out in a very ugly way.  Whatever the reason I would love to leave us with that all important prayer.  But this time don’t just recognize it and move on.  Read it with someone whom you are struggling with in mind.

I remain, your servant in Christ

Theresa

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

 

Explore posts in the same categories: family, religious, scripture, spiritual

Tags: change, Gospel of Matthew, persecution, prayer

You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.