Praying for Your Enemies

Praying for Your Enemies As we continue to hear news about the violence in the Middle East, especially the atrocities committed by ISIS, it’s important to remember a couple of lines from scripture: “You have heard it 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” –Matthew 5:43-45a “But I tell you who hear me: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” –Luke 6:27-28.

Praying for Your Enemies

What is a Tallit (Tallit)? It is a prayer shawl, the most authentic Jewish garment. It is a piece of linen or wool with special fringes on each of the four corners. Why wear a Tallit? The Lord said to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of the Lord and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge.

Now, it might be extremely hard to even consider praying for your enemies, especially if we’re lumping terrorist organizations like ISIS into that category. But it’s important to note that by praying for your enemies, you are not supporting their actions. Not in the least. Here are a couple that you can pray for your enemies and the evildoers in the world:

  • Pray that they find God and His true will. Through God, even the most evil people and groups in the world can be saved. Even when it seems like a long shot, it is never a waste of time to ask God to work within the lives of the people committing evil to help them to change their ways. While the evil they have committed cannot be erased, there is always even a faint glimmer of hope that they can turn toward the light and refrain from committing such acts in the future.
  • Pray for the restraint of their evil. Pray that somehow, the acts committed by these people will be brought to a halt. However, remember that if the ultimate method of this restraint is the death of terrorists or evildoers, we should still not take joy in their death, as written in Proverbs 24:17: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.”

If you would like some guidance in your prayers related to this issue, please feel free to contact us today at Curt Landry Ministries.