Pray for Your Enemies. Not Because It’s Easy
Tuesday’s Verse:
From Matthew 5:44 ESV
(Jesus said) "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
War shreds the fabric of all that God made good. Gaza. Ukraine. Blood. Tears. Fear. On every side. And when we watch from afar—or suffer through it up close—Jesus’ command sounds absurd.
Love your enemies? Pray for them?
What about justice? What about safety? What about those who started it?
But Jesus does not water down His command. He speaks to a people who have known Roman boots on their heels and brutal crosses in their flesh. And He modeled it on the cross—praying for His murderers. “Father, forgive them.” He was no fool. He knew what we see and are undone by—the sheer weight of human evil. And He carried it.
We do not love our enemies because they deserve love. We love because we did not deserve love either, and God had mercy on us. We do not pray for our persecutors because we condone what they do. We pray because God alone can change hearts—yours and theirs.
“The gospel makes us all beggars.” As Luther said, it levels the ground. Enemies become brothers in Christ. Hearts of stone can shatter. And in a world where war shouts, the quiet words of love and prayer speak the language of heaven.
So pray. Pray for peace. For your enemies. For those who march under flags you will never wave. Not because it’s easy. But because it’s Christ-like.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, teach us to love, not with slogans, but with our lives. Break the cycle of hate. Bring peace to Ukraine. Bring peace to Gaza. Bring peace to hearts hardened by fear and revenge. And start with us. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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