Destroying Enemies

     Praying for others can be difficult, even more when you hate the person. But Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies (Matt 5:44). It’s a lot easier said then done...or is it?

     Ideally, when you are praying for someone, you should pray for their conversion, pray for an understanding of that person, if you’re feeling really bold ask them, “Hey Steph, what do you want prayer for?” That’s not only helping you direct your prayer, it’s also telling the other person that you care about them (or at least want to). That also makes it more difficult for the other person to hate you. I mean, how can you hate someone who’s praying for you? But sometimes we can’t do this. The pain is too great. If that’s the case, how can we still pray for these jerks? How can we even pray with so much hatred in our hearts?

     Well, God wants all of you. From you’re greatest smile to your weird looking birthmark, God wants you. One of the people who knew this best was King David. The book of Psalms are his prayers. Here’s what one of his prayers sounded like.

     Psalm 59 “Awake! Punish all the nations. Have no mercy on these worthless traitors….May God go before me, and show me my fallen foes. Slay them, God, lest you deceive my people...destroy them in anger, destroy till they are no more...My strength, praise I will sing; you, God, are my fortress, my loving God.”

     How did this Psalm make it into scripture? Someone must have been sleeping on the job. David is ruthless in this prayer. But what sets David apart from you and me is that he did this in prayer. He was real with God. He basically said, “God, this is where I’m at right now. Help me out.” The more we share our brokenness with God, the more he can mend us. So in prayer, don't hold back. Give God everything, and he will return the favor tenfold.