ListenDaily – 14 June 2010: Pray for who?
WWJPF? Who Would Jesus Pray For?
(FWWJP? For my English professors...)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" Matthew 5:43-46
If getting up early and finding a quiet place seems like a challenge -- then how about this teaching; "pray for those who persecute you"? I was privileged to be in prayer with a friend recently, who prayed for someone who had caused him to lose his job. What a humbling experience that was for me -- and yet, it is something Jesus commanded us to do. So, make a list of your persecutors:
A supervisor?
A coworker?
A neighbor?
Can you do, as Jesus commanded, and pray for them? It might be tough, but I bet you can.
On another level, this would cause believers to pray for racists, hate groups, terrorists, persecutors of the faith...
Wow. Really tough -- but still commanded. We might ask ourselves, or you might ask me, do I think it would make a difference to pray for Osama Bin Laden? Absolutely! Oh, I cannot promise that he would find Christ, but what a blessing that would be. However, Jesus never promised that a prayed-for enemy would cease to be an enemy. The change may come for Bin Laden and it may come for me. But, regardless (and I mean 'regardless' in the strongest sense, without any regard!) of the outcome, I will pray for my enemies because Jesus said to. I don't need further explanation; remember, success = obedience.
Questions:
1. Who is on your list of personal persecutors? Are you willing to pray for them?
2. How about those on the 'bigger' list?
3. How might this affect your own prayer?
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May we keep listening. Jim.
INTERESTING THOUGHTS:
"Enemy-occupied territory-----that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign in sabotage." C.S. Lewis
"Does loving your enemy mean not punishing him? No, for loving myself does not mean that I ought not subject myself to punishment----even to death. If you had committed a murder, the right Christian thing to do would be to give yourself up to the police and be hanged." C.S. Lewis
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