Who is my enemy? I feel like anyone who hurts me in some way is an enemy in that moment. I know I get hurt a lot, so I get lots of opportunities to pray for my enemies!
How can I do this? Asking God for wisdom in how to pray is step number one. Each of my enemies has a different personality and different needs. Even when I don’t know what they need, I can ask God to bless them anyway (Romans 8:26-27). Only God, who made that person, fully understands why they are treating me in such a mean way. There is a saying, “Hurt people, hurt people.†Most of the time when someone hurts me, it’s because they’ve been hurt. And I may not be the cause of their hurt. They could be lashing out about something that happened days, weeks, or even years ago that still hurts them.
Another way I can pray for my enemy is to think about how I feel when I’m hurt and someone comforts me. Then I ask God to comfort that person, either in the same way I would want to be comforted or in a way that meets their specific needs. I can even ask God to help me comfort them if that’s what He is inviting me to do.
It’s also important to share with God when we’ve been hurt and tell Him how we’re feeling. He cares about our hurts, and He wants to heal us just as He wants to heal the person who hurt us. When I’m hurt, my first response is often anger. Feeling angry is NOT sin. Instead, the Bible tells me: “Don’t sin by letting anger control you†(Ephesians 4:26). When I get angry and retaliate by hurting the person who hurt me, I am sinning. But when I get angry and make the decision to give my hurts over to Jesus and pray for my enemy, I am acting like Jesus.
Jesus showed us this same forgiveness while He was on the cross, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing†(Luke 23:34). Even while we were His enemies, Jesus made a way for us to be fully restored to relationship with God (Romans 5:10), and now He works in us, empowering us to forgive even our enemies. • Sharon J. Morris
• Who are you struggling to forgive right now? A friend? Family member? Teacher? Yourself? Consider spending some time sitting with Jesus in prayer, asking Him to heal you and the person who hurt you.
• Navigating broken relationships can be complicated. If you aren’t sure what forgiveness looks like in a particular situation, who can you ask for guidance?
“But I [Jesus] say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!†Matthew 5:44 (NLT)
Read Verses:
Rom.6.1-Rom.6.12|Heb.2.14-Heb.2.18|Jas.4.7
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