Do you really want to pray for your enemies? Jesus, in his famous Sermon on the Mount, admonishes us to pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us. Do you know someone who seems to be doing things to spite you, or is speaking despitefully of you? One Bible dictionary defines despitefully as with malice, or taking pleasure in the misfortune of another.
Another dictionary defines malice as the desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of a deep-seated meanness like the malice and spite of a lifelong enemy. In Law it can mean the evil intent on the part of a person who commits a wrongful act injurious to others. Is there someone in your life right now who is rubbing you the wrong way and he seems to be doing it on purpose? Well there is something you can do about it. You can follow the admonition Jesus gave and pray for him/her.
In Streams in the Desert 2 William Lane says it is impossible to harbor negative feelings and thoughts about a person whom you are earnestly praying for, whom you are asking God to bless and prosper and protect and supply for. Why do you not try it? Tonight before you go to bed, or today while walking home, earnestly cry out to God in prayer for that poor soul who is giving your heart so much toil and heartache. If you will follow the advice of God, and pray earnestly with a full heart, He will supernaturally remove the bad feelings and thoughts you are having.
But you have to do the obeying. You have to pray even though your emotions and thoughts disagree with the commandment of God to pray for your enemies. But if you go ahead by faith and follow His admonition you will find you will be able to rise above the present unpleasant situation and find love and genuine compassion for that poor soul whose presence has tormented you for so long. Why do you not give it a try and pray. You will not be sorry. Prayer moves the hand of God. Sincere desperate prayer can radically change any heart or situation. So pray, it may even change you!
And I am not talking about a one day thing. This prayer change may take a few days or a week or it may be a continual battle. But if you in all earnestness and sincerity pray passionately for your enemy, you will experience results. It may not be a permanent victory and you may need to continue to address this person in prayer. But like the grain a sand inside of the oyster, as you continue to secrete the balm of prayer over this sandy personality, in the end God will create a pearl in your life. The pearl may be the deepening of your character or the strengthening of your nerve or the softening of your heart. But a pearl you will have. The fervent effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)
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