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Mark Greenthaner's avatar

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's comment in Life Together is worth consideration: “l can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed in intercession into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner. This is a happy discovery for the Christian who begins to pray for others. There is no dislike, no personal tension, no estrangement that cannot be overcome by intercession as far as our side of it is concerned. Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual and the fellowship must enter every day. The struggle we undergo with our brother in intercession may be a hard one, but that struggle has the promise that it will gain its goal.”

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Michael D Woods's avatar

Well said. Valuable viewpoint from your priest friend. Praying for that person to change so that at the least he won't do the same to someone else makes excellent sense and provides a motivation I hadn't thought of in praying for my enemies - or at least those I dislike or detest.

It's well worth noting that Jesus in His prayer to the Father said this in John 17:15 -

"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."

One can mine a lot from that, including that Jesus certainly knew the world would shape us, because after all, we live in it and must accommodate those around us too. How can we not, if even if someone we think is wrong - we must love them and accept and trust that God is also working in them in His way - not necessarily our way. Love isn't always about being right.

Secondly, while Jesus certainly tells us to pray for our enemies, and even to love them - that doesn't mean they aren't still our enemies:

Romans 12:19 - Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

So, as much as possible, let go and let God. He knows our weaknesses. He certainly knows when we pray through gritted teeth for those we can't stand. And it's OK. Because He knew before we were even born, the arc of our life, from beginning to end - and still He loves us and cares for us, and died for us, despite our faults.

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