Persecuted

Pray. Pray. Pray.

We pray for ourselves, we pray for those we love, we pray for friends and family who are sick or who have asked for prayers; but do we pray for those who hurt us to persecute us?

Perhaps we pray for those who hurt us …. for them to stop hurting us, but is that what God is asking us to do? We are asked to pray for their souls, pray for their conversions, pray for their hurt to be healed and pray that they come to find God. The scriptures this week paint a pretty clear picture that God wants us to pray for our enemies and even more, to love them.

It isn’t easy to pray for those who have inflicted pain on us because our instinct is to want to hurt them in return. During a tough time for me, I would pray each morning while I was getting ready for my day. I’d pray the Hail Mary prayer ten times in a row while reflecting on a person who was causing me hurt. Instead of me praying for them to change, I’d spend the time in prayer just pushing good vibes their way. I never thought they were hurting me intentionally and that my prayers might help bring comfort to them.

Now I have never been a victim of violent acts such as abuse or rape, nor involved in a life where I am enslaved or held captive. These hurts are much worse than I have ever faced or can imagine. I can think of many situations where I’d find it a struggle to forgive if someone hurt me or my family. However, God is saying we must find a way to do exactly the opposite of what our instinct tell us. I have heard stories of people who have had these experiences and are set free through prayer and the power of God.

I believe this is one of those HARD things about being a disciple. We have to go against our instincts and do the work. God didn’t say “come and follow me and I promise it will be easy”. Instead he called us disciples which requires us to have discipline to follow his ways and not the ways of the world!