Prayers for the Worst

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Matthew 5:43-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

What it is speaking to me:

People can just be the worst sometimes, can't they?

Inevitably, the most obnoxious people in your lives are the most active on your social media. Why is that? It becomes a constant reminder that they are just the worst.

Alright, I am being extreme to grab your attention, but if you live long enough you will have someone who fills the role of enemy in your life. Maybe even more than one. They oppose you, they work to discredit you, and they make your life unnecessarily difficult. Maybe you did something to earn that, maybe you didn't.

It isn't fun at all to deal with them, talk about them, or even think about them. Unfortunately for my flesh that wants to complain about it, Jesus calls us up higher.

We are called to love, bless, do good, and pray for those people. The people who make our lives the most difficult are the ones we are to care for the way we care for those who are a blessing in our lives. That is a high call, a hard call. It is a call to be like the Father, who is perfect. Not a lot of wiggle room there.

The last verse is phrased as a command (which it is!), but it is also phrased as a promise. We will be like the Father. And the Holy Spirit will help us do that. He will help us now in becoming perfect. What if our enemies serve (unintentionally on their part) as a gift to us? As opportunities to love like Christ did, when it won't be reciprocated. To bless and do good for someone who will reject it or not even notice it? To pray for those who need it most, as Jesus did for us?

Maybe they are part of the promise that the Spirit is helping us fulfill the command and receive the promise that the image of Christ is going to be better formed in us.

What is it saying to you?

What does living these verses look like to you?

Today?

This week?

This season?

What are we going to do about it?

Spend a structured and intentional time this week praying for the blessing and spiritual well-being of someone who actively opposes you.