Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
In our Lord’s opening sermon (lesson) of His Church-Kingdom, He covered a wide range of attitudinal and behavioral Commandments, one of which is “prayer”. It is a given that we must pray for our family, close friends, and those who are dear to us. But, for those in His Church-Kingdom, our Lord Commands us to even “pray for them which despitefully use you”! He doesn’t Command us to “pray” for their prosperity in bad behavior; but, we are to “pray” for the person. [We must not confuse this Commandment with the civil treatment of criminals and protecting ourselves from wicked people.] I confess, that loving our enemies and praying for those who mistreat us is not easy, it requires a lot of Spiritual Discipline; that is, focusing upon how gracious and merciful and forgiving our Lord is to us. We must remember our Lord’s “new commandment”, “That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34). Our Lord set the example for us; for, He “loved” and prayed (John 17) for His Apostles, knowing that before daylight they would all forsake him (Matthew 26:56) and Peter would even curse and deny that he knew Him (Matthew 26:74). It is the stronger person who sincerely loves and prays for their enemies and those who mistreat them. As we begin a new year, let us prayerfully set our minds and hearts to love, forgiveness, and prayer, even for those who are our enemies and those who mistreat us! Our Lord explains why, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)!