I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you Matthew 5:44
Last week during our 7:50am prayer time on Spirit FM we prayed for Bishop Wack and the people of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee as they try to wrap their heads around the fire at St. Thomas More parish. I can only imagine how it feels to see such a spot in your church scorched. Adding the possibility of arson conjures up an entirely different kind of emotion. So by the grace of God, after we prayed for the Bishop and the people, we prayed for the mystery person who allegedly set the fire.
It made me reexamine why I pray for people. Is it so they will prosper in things of this world or so they will come to know Jesus more fully? Because I know that I surely was not praying for an arsonist to have his best day ever. I simply wanted him to know that he is loved by a creator that sees beyond his sin. Is that the prayer I pray for the people I love? Because ultimately that is what we all need most.
Do you have the courage to pray the same prayer for your enemies and your friends?
Lord, please help the people at the top and the bottom of my favorites list know and love you more fully.
