Praying For the Enemy

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:1-4.

Sometimes when you read a passage, it knocks you on your behind. And maybe that's a good thing. That happened to me yesterday when I was at small group, looking at the passage above, as part of our study on prayer. By itself, that passage is powerful. But when you put it in connection with the other ways God is speaking to you, it can knock you off your seat. That happened for me.

This Sunday, we talked about loving our enemies. That's a challenge. It's a challenge to be nice to those who aren't nice to you. It's a challenge to show compassion to those whose hearts are hard toward you. It's a challenge to bow before those that seek to bring you low. But how about praying for them?

When I read the passage above I thought about that, especially as it pertains to our leaders. Think about it. It's easy to pray for leaders of our city, state, country, and world when they share your outlook, faith, and values. But what happens when they don't? For most of us, it's probably a time of grousing. But Paul tells Timothy that, no matter who is in authority, it's our job to pray for them. That's how we bring ourselves the peace of God. That can be a tough pill to swallow, but that's our call.

Think about that in terms of the passage we considered Sunday. Matthew 5:43-48 says, “You have heard 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 children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." That, too, is a tough call.

We live during a time of cultural and political unrest, and that's only going to increase as we move through this election season. It's easy to pray for those we like — the passage from Jesus acknowledges that — but we have to pray for those we don't like. That's showing Christian compassion, and that's an important lesson to remember for us all.