Anyone ever Pray for your ENEMIES? Did it help?

KlassicalKat · 12-11-2002, 10:22 PM

I have always heard that you should pray for your enemies...for those that persecute you, etc. I have always found this extremely hard to do. I personally cannot do it. When someone has done an injustice to me or someone that I love I simply feel that they don't deserve prayer. I hate injustice of any kind and find it extremely hard to forgive. Hope this doesn't make me less of a Christian.

Have any of you prayed for your enemies? How did you pray? Did it calm you down, make you feel better, or even change the enemy's attitude toward you?

I hate having resentment in my heart towards anyone. Maybe it is a good sign that I am concerned about this at all. If I truly didn't care, I might not even be concerned!

Thanks for your input!

Kathryn

HISIRISHGEM · 12-11-2002, 11:45 PM

a couple years ago when I first started going to church, I wanted to sing for the college ministry Christmas gala. Being a former catholic, I only knew a couple of songs...so I decided to sing (Ave Maria .....ending with O come let us adore Him) what I knew and end with the true meaning of why we celebrate Christmas with O come let us adore Him.

Anyways, one of the elders of the church in her 30's came to me and told me I couldn't sing that song because it was giving praise to Mary and not Jesus......but she never let me explain what I was doing, she just knew that I was this former catholic girl. I left that night crying to my best friend and someone who a year later became my DH.

Anyways...I truely hated this woman for what she did....and I couldn't deal with it...so I prayed to God to help me Pray for her. I got such an answer to prayer...though at the time, I didn't think it was!! Gods answer was To pray for MY OWN HEART. I was so mad and even affended that I would have to pray for myself.....after all, she was the mean one....Why should I pray for myself and NOT FOR HER??

I did it anyways and a month later felt such at peace with my anger and bitterness and hatred towards this woman. I was READY to pray for her and her own needs.

One day during the spring she came up to me, gave me a hug and appologized out of thin air...and I appologized for my hatred and bitterness towards her.

I would have NEVER thought we would EVER end up as friends!! BUT WE DID!!

See, God wanted me to pray for my own feelings of hatred for her because they were getting in the way of TRUELY praying for her and her needs once I got rid of the anger, I was able to move past HOW I THOUGHT OF HER to what God thought of her and how He wanted to use me, in order TO CHANGE HER HEART!!

It's not easy at all.....I've done it a few times and each time, I battle with my own flesh and Gods will. Push through it.

People need your love the most when they appear to deserve it the least.

It appears that satan didn't want me to post this because I've typed this 4 times already with 3x totally losing what I've written.lol Oh well, Praise God!!lol

I hope this helps a bit!!

loofah · 12-12-2002, 01:06 AM

I used to have huge trouble with my sister. She walked away from God and loved putting down me, my faith and my friends.

She even tried to break my arm one time and other stuff.

One night after hearing a sermon on forgiveness I wrote down on a large bit of paper everyone i felt i needed to forgive. I didn't go on to the next person until i was sure I had forgiven the previous one.

Well, the day after I prayed for my sister we bonded really closely, now we are best friends, she never puts down my faith and we have so much love for each other

I am so glad God got me to do that! Forgiveness works!

((((((((((((((KlassicalKat))))))))))))))))

Summer-girl · 12-12-2002, 01:09 PM

I can't say that I have any personal enemies, but after Sept 11th I prayed for our people, our country, our world, and especially for those that did us harm. I would like to say it made me less bitter, or that I was able to forgive, but that just was not the case. I do not think that I will ever be able to forgive the horror of that day.

One thing praying for our enemies did do was make me secure in the knowledge that I was doing all I could do to help. I know that I do not have the power to erase the hate from their hearts, but I know God does...and I know He will answer my prayers.

Calantha · 12-12-2002, 05:52 PM

I don't have very many enemies, but I find it very hard to pray for the few that I do have! I have to fight the temptation to tack on a "Oh, and please strike her with the flu!" at the end or something!
Of course, most of my personal "enemies" aren't really enemies at all. I mean, they may be people I really don't like all that much, but to me an enemy means something more now.
I guess I really didn't understand that until the Sunday after September 11. Our pastor reminded us that we should be praying for our enemies, specifically he said "even Osama Bin Laden". My immediate reaction was "Praying for WHAT? A slow painful DEATH?" I can't say as I've ever had that reaction when asked to pray for someone I simply had a clash of personalities with.
I went home and gave it my best try..
I didn't pray that God bless him or grant him health and prosperity. I didn't even pray that God protect him. I DID pray that God help him see the error of his ways. I prayed that even though he certainly deserved to be punished for what he had caused, that God lead him to the Word and to knowledge and faith in Jesus.
I don't think I will ever be able to pray for that man's safety or well being. I believe in my heart of hearts that he deserves whatever punishment he gets here on earth. I do pray regularily though that his heart is changed so that he does not have to suffer eternal punishment in Hell as well. It's a very hard prayer to pray, but I think it puts me more at peace, and helps give me back just a trace of hope mankind, something I thought I had lost completely that day.
-Brandy

KlassicalKat · 12-13-2002, 01:30 AM

Hi, cysters!

I am really enjoying all of your replies and getting a much healthier spiritual perspective on this. God's love and peace is so much larger than the petty annoyances that I feel toward my "enemies". When I think about Sept. 11, the people who have done me wrong in my life are "small potatoes" in comparison!

I really do appreciate all the comments!

Kathryn

Ajani · 12-13-2002, 02:55 PM

Our small group just finished the video series, "What's So Amazing About Grace" by Phillip Yancy. It was a real eye opener. Grace is unmitigated favour, it is given to those who do not deserve it. We receive abundant grace from God, and as Christians, we have been given the responsibility to dispense it to the world.

When we hang on to unforgiveness, the other person doesn't suffer any more for it, but we do. On the video, there was an interview with the woman behind the real life story of the movie "Dead Man Walking." She was the one who was attacked in real life. She clung to bitterness and her desire for "justice" until she realized that even when one of her attackers was killed, she felt no peace. She didn't feel vindicated in the least. Revenge is not fulfilling. It is a hollow pursuit.

Grace flies in the face of our desire for justice. It seems completely contradictory. But grace allows us to heal. "Justice" does not (by justice, please know that I do not mean criminal justice, but rather, our own desire to see the person who has wronged us suffer for it).

Torie · 12-16-2002, 12:39 AM

These are some VERY powerful stories told here!!

pharmcyster · 12-18-2002, 03:21 AM

Hi KlassicalKat!

I know it's hard to pray for your enemies, I used to feel the same way too, but in the end God blesses you. My story is about my MIL. We have been at odds ever since I met her. My DH is an only child & so he is her only 'baby'.
Anyway, after the birth of our DD, my MIL came to visit. Not even 4 days into the visit we get into an argument. She starts cussing at me and threatened to fight me! I have never ever had anyone talk to me like that! Now I am not an angel but I didn't speak to her disrespectfully or in a loud voice. I was so upset I never wanted to speak to her or see her EVER again. I called my Mom up crying, and she told me to pray about it, & pray for my MIL. I REALLY didn't want to do this but I did.
I was praying thinking that God would change my MIL, but instead he changed my heart, so that I could forgive my MIL. My MIL & I are still not the best of friends, but I can visit her, have her visit, & speak to her with out anger in my heart and that is a blessing! I think as we mature as christians, God teaches us to pray for our enemies & love everyone, not just those that we like.

Everyone have a Blessed day!

KlassicalKat · 12-18-2002, 03:36 AM

Thanks for your stories, too, Ajani and pharmcyster...boy, I have to agree with Torie...there are some powerful stories here!

pharmcyster I really admire that you took the time to pray. What a terrible situation. I just know it is God giving you the strength and direction in how to deal with your MIL. A LOT of people would have just said "to heck with her!" and walked away. I am always shocked when people talk so cruelly like she did. I was not raised that way. I have an only child, one son and I pray I never become like your MIL to my future daughter in law (I guess that would be intialed DIL, eh?!)

Kathryn

Brattyone · 12-20-2002, 08:21 PM

Oh yes I do pray for my enemies!!!

I was so mad at my X husband and it took every ounce in me to pray for him and the situation. After I went into the Psalms I prayed a few of them and felt so much peace.

I think it's also important to pray for enemies because God will also show you where you went wrong

I am really working on my mouth so I pray a whole lot and I think the more we let him deal with our enemies the better it is for everyone concerned!!

In Feb I had a nasty mean boss, she was trying to do everything she could do get me fired, I was even talking with the district manager and union about all this. I went into the Psalms again actually it was Psalm 16 and 59, I prayed them everyday and I would go to lunch and call my dh and vent but I wouldn't let that boss woman get to me. I wasn't going to stoop to her level, after 3 weeks of going through this, the district manager wanted to talk to the boss, well somehow my boss ended up not working for the company any longer. I was surprised but I know it was God all the way. He will protect you and get you out of situations if you lean on him and let him take care of it!!!

It's not easy that's forsure but I think it helps us with self control and helps us to watch our tongue because we all know the tongue is very powerful and we need to be Christ like

Ok I've rambled enough

Ms_Peaches_01 · 12-21-2002, 04:45 AM

This may seem selfish, but praying for my enemies actually helps me to feel better about myself. First, it takes me out of the victim's seat and places me in control of my feelings. Second, it helps me to understand that whatever issues the person is harboring toward me are THEIR issues, not mine. My life doesn't have to be consumed with their opinions of me.

Hang in there

AmericanWoman · 01-02-2003, 08:46 PM

My former manager was a jerk. His butt crack hung out of his jeans, he had ugly style glassses and was realllllyy mean spirited. Boy, he belongs in a cartoon. Anyway...

I lived in an apt. where my stove caught on fire from bad electrical wiring. It arched (the electricty sparked and caused a fire WHILE THE STOVE WAS OFF). My manager argued with me about changing the cord. I reported him to the city board. He called me up the day before Christmas that year and went off on me. I cried.

We had many such fights like this...but i was determind to get over myself and pray for him. I had others pray for him. This was difficult. This man berated me, brought rules of the housing code..hung out with evil mean pot-smoking "Mr. Happy" (we called him ... the handyman)...his wife was beautiful and sweet though...Love must be BLIND.

Well, I lost my Discover card. I freaked out when I noticed...a little voice inside me said "open the door". I thought that was odd since it was raining heavily...but i did. Lo and behold, Discover card with my name on it was there at my door step.

Later on, pasty-butt-crack-showing-mgr walked by...and said "Hi!" to me (he had not done that for years and years EVER)...He then said "I found your card...I put it on your doorway" and SMILED! I thanked him.

Then I got on my knees and prayed.

Later on, pasty-butt-crack-showing-mgr got fired. I was told by the new mgr, Skinny-Whippersnapper, "He got too many lawsuits, so the landlady's daughter fired him when she took over the property."

HISIRISHGEM · 01-03-2003, 10:35 PM

Peaches you've got a great Attitude!!

It's taken me sooo long to figure that one out. But Bless your little heart, your thinking is definately the Truth.....God can work on us when we ask and on our enemies as well, and when we pray it puts the ball in their court!

dahvia ford · 01-19-2003, 03:33 AM

thank you so much peaches and american woman i was kind of feeling picked on and fat today and i relly have to thank you for your insightful replies.
i was able to apply them to my situation and feel really good about the progress i've made in the last few years spiritually. I feel most of my real issues are spiritual ones primarilly and have found myself so blessed as of late.
My old "life " and habits have been replaced with a real and productive mission and peace. this is more than money can buy and really the only sucess and character i can effectively work on is my own.
I just ask for wisdom and blessings for them that are so blind and tortured by this world that they obviously no longer care. I do have true pity and remorse for their pain and hope that they can use coming across me as a chance to be blessed beyond measure.
some people have no none to pray for them. I pray for evryone i meet and hope that by meeting me they can have a little more peace and happiess in their life and they come to know the full measure of god's richness.
I am so blessed that i hope someone can use the excess that God gives me.
peace!