Finally, One I can Do

Warriors Arise: November 25, 2023

Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

Finally, an easy one! All I have to do is pray for the ones who spitefully use me and persecute me. I don't have to love them. I don't have to bless them. I don't have to do good to them. All I have to do is pray for them.

What would an acceptable prayer sound like?

"God, I ask for You remove those who are spitefully using me. I am tired of begin a doormat. I don't want to serve them anymore. Would you remove them from my life? I ask for those who are persecuting me to feel the sting of their persecution. I pray they would answer to You for their deeds of darkness. I pray You would take vengeance upon them for how they have persecuted me in Jesus' name amen."

"God, I am so tired of the way I am being treated. Have You seen the way they use me? Any good I do, they tear me down. Anything I accomplish makes them more spiteful toward me. They only want me around when I can do something for them. Then they have to speak so ugly toward me. Why do they have such spite toward me? What did I do to them? I wouldn't dare ask them. They would only increase their persecution, rejection and devaluing of me. So, what do I do? This seems like abuse. I need you to protect me in Jesus' name amen."

"God, it is getting old. I get so tired of being used. I don't mind serving, but when I serve them, they are incredibly rude and arrogant. Their tone is so sharp toward me. It is as if they are having a conversation in their head about me before they even speak to me. It seems they only want me around to make themselves feel better. They make it so obvious that they don't want me there. They only invite me to come so it puts them at ease so they do not feel guilty for excluding me. But when I am there, can't everyone see how they persecute me? Why do they always have to be angry toward me? Why do they have to talk about me with negativity Why do they think they know me when they haven't taken the time to talk to me? Come and relieve me of this in Jesus' name amen."

Not that any of those are wrong prayers. They are expressing how you may feel and your perception. However, in those prayers, I didn't pray for them. I expressed my pain to God, but I didn't pray for them. This is where we check our prayers. It is also why I like to journal my prayers when I am discouraged because I can look at it and see if I just informed God of the situation and my feelings or did I actually pray for them.

Father, I ask for Holy Spirit to keep me in check. I want to make sure I don't pray to inform You of a situation in a relationship or just my feelings about what is happening. I want to pray for them. I ask for You to give me words to pray so they become people of unity, peace and encouragement rather spitefully using people and persecuting them. I pray they would do for themselves and stop being puppeteers. I pray they would be convicted of their words and actions when persecuting another. I pray they would get no delight in persecuting others. I ask for them to become peacemakers and defenders of the weak in Jesus' name amen.

A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,

Veridee Joy Hand

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