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Pray for Who?
All throughout Jesus’ ministry, He constantly turned things upside down for those listening. The religious leaders at the time had grown distant from following the laws of God. Jesus’ teaching helped bring them back to the heart of the law, but He often did so through surprising ways.
Most of us probably think we do a great job at loving other people. But if we’re being honest, most of us probably spend our time loving those who also love us back. It’s a lot easier to love the people who we’re friends with. When there’s trust built over time and common ground, it’s easy to love.
Jesus says that loving those who love you is not enough. In Luke 6:28, He challenges us even further. He says we’re to bless those who speak negatively about us, and we are to pray for those who mistreat us.
If you’ve ever been mistreated by someone, or had someone speak negatively about you, then you know how hard it can be to love that person. It is hard to love unloving people. And yet, Jesus did exactly that. When we were at our worst, He still loved us.
If you find it hard to bless those who mistreat you, begin with prayer. Between you and God in prayer, ask Him to help soften your heart. Ask Him for justice in a specific situation, but also for there to be restoration.
Every person who exists is a person Jesus wants to love. And when we make steps to love those who are unloving, we’re showing the love of Jesus to someone who needs it. As we take steps to pray for those who mistreat us, we become more like Jesus.
Take a few minutes right now to pray. Ask God to help you grow in love towards those around you. If there's someone who has hurt you, ask God to begin healing your heart. Say a prayer for that person as well. Ask God to be with them, to help them, and to make a way for their heart to be softened as well. Thank Jesus that He loved us even when we were unloving.
Thank you Jenny!🙏 That was beautifully said and a very important reminder. I hate to admit I had to check myself on this just yesterday.😔 I was running a bit late to an appointment and the car in front of me was going slow, way below the speed limit, then they almost stopped like they were going to turn but no turn signal, then they just drove on. I’m usually pretty calm about others driving but I lost my temper and honked. I instantly thought of “treat everyone like you would treat Jesus”. I asked for forgiveness right then and there! It was less than a minute of my day but what a BIG lesson! I will remember and do better next time, no matter how late I am! I realized I didn’t know what their situation was. Maybe they were lost or being cautious. Who knows?
I know that’s not the same as someone who intentionally mistreats you. I have had some hurts that cut pretty darn deep, as I’m sure most others have, and I’m still working through truly forgiving and loving through the pain. Our human instinct goes into survival mode so forgiving and praying for the person who caused that hurt has to be intentional. It’s not natural but it’s something we must work towards. God commands us to love our neighbor and Jesus tells us to love one another and we must! That just made me think of Erika forgiving Charlie’s murderer and of how unimaginably difficult that must’ve been for her.😢 She is a beautiful Christian soul!
Again, Jenny, thank you for bringing this up and for the beautiful reminder! God bless you, and your family, and your new cute little puppy! Have a wonderful day!🙏✝️🕊️❤️