Inner Peace is Possible
Inner peace doesn’t come from praying, it comes from obeying. Pray for your enemies. (M.H. Puccini)
It’s the worst commandment and the toughest to obey, but the fruit it produces in our lives is rich and lasting.
Jesus taught us to each pray for our enemies and “for” is the key word within this command.
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28 NIV)
Jesus didn’t command his followers to pray, so their enemies would be rewarded.- Instead, he wanted his children to be set free from inner torment.
- Praying for your enemies is the quickest way I know to short-circuit bitterness and hatred.
- You can’t pray for someone consistently and continue to hate them.
The Worst Curse
Jesus’ example when dying makes it clear; we are to bless our enemies.
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:24-25 NIV)
The angry mob, stirred up by the Pharisees, demanded Jesus be crucified. But the curse they put on themselves chills me. The sins of the world hadn’t yet been placed on Jesus. At that moment, he was the most innocent man who’d ever walked the earth. By their words, they invited God’s horrific judgement.
If Abel’s innocent blood cried out to God from the ground (Genesis 4:8-12 NIV), Jesus’ innocent blood would have roared like loud thunder for divine punishment.
The Lord‘s Dying Prayer
Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34 NIV)
Christ’s words protected the Pharisees, the Roman soldiers, and the angry crowd from the horrific consequences of their own actions. In deep physical agony, the Lord stilled remembered to pray for His enemies. Our Savior’s plea came from the Father’s heart. It must have been important.
Remember, Jesus’ prayer didn’t bless His life in any way. It was a free gift, lovingly given to people who didn’t deserve it.
Christ Nullified the Curse
I can hear some of you saying, but wait. Jesus died for the whole world’s sin several minutes later. So why was it important to pray for his enemies while on the cross?
Two reasons.
First, the only ones who benefit from His sacrifice are Christians. Some of His enemies wouldn’t accept Him as their Savior even after He rose from the dead.
Secondly, Jesus highlights certain sins in His teaching. Perhaps some sins in God’s eyes are worse.
Three Examples
Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. (Luke 17:1 NIV)
It’s a terrible thing to damage a Christian’s faith.
The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” (Luke 22:22 NIV)
Yes, the Trinity chose for Jesus to go to the cross. But Judas still bears the guilt for betraying him. He’s the clearest example; you can’t serve both God and money.
6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18:6 NIV)
Dying by drowning is better than to cause a small believer to stumble. Our hypocrisy, the sins we wink at, or the lies we tell, can cause a child or teenager to turn away from Jesus.
Healing a Poor Self-Image
Do you hate yourself?
Confess what’s true. Pray blessings on yourself, just as if you were praying someone else.
Keep repeating positive Scriptures about how the Lord feels about you. Ask an older Christian for help pick out verses.
If you renew your mind, emotional healing will eventually follow.
Sabotaging Self-Pity
Whenever I start to rehearse old wrongs—and yes, my mind does go there—I flip my thoughts. Instead, I immediately start praying blessings on the person who hurt me. If they don’t know Christ, I ask the Holy Spirit to bring them into His kingdom. If they do, I ask the Lord to bless them in other ways.
My Spiritual Point:
I’ve even been known to pray for terrorists. Because I want them to spend eternity in Heaven. Of course, I also pray for God to sow distrust among them, frustrating their evil schemes and protecting the innocent.
We can pray for our enemies intelligently.
Just don’t forget the ‘for’
I downloaded these images from Pixabay.com.
Editor’s note: These images are symbolic. The seagull and lily represent inner peace and freedom. The dark green leaves represent people in spiritual darkness. The frozen red berries symbolize those who don’t know Christ. Finally the beautiful blue water surrounded by barren rocks are Christians who are presently crippled by a poor self-image.
