If the Luke 6:27-28 verses were a part of your Scripture readings
in worship this past week,
this devotion helps move WORSHIP into your WEEK.
And a blessing to read if this wasn't your lectionary reading.
BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE YOU
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Luke 6:27 & 28
These are two of the hardest verses to hear and put into practice.
It is impossible to listen to world-wide news and deny that I have enemies, that I am hated, or that I am cursed. Public declarations and beheadings put the lie to the comforting thought that the hatred, curses, and enmity do not apply to me personally. They do. They apply because of the way I look, because of my social status, national allegiance, faith, gender, age, wealth or lack of wealth, my politics, where I live, how I dress, the language I speak, who my parents were, where my grandparents lived, what I eat, what music I listen to, and even what my health status may be. They apply because Satan is at work in the world as a roaring lion, seeking those whom he may destroy. (1 Peter 5:8) This is not paranoia, it is reality. Still, Christ tells me to love, to do good, to bless, and to pray for these people.
Christ is not asking for lip service to ‘love your enemies.’
Because I have heard Christ say that the one who ‘hates his brother is a murderer’ (1 John 3:15) I will insist that I love the sinner but hate the sin. I grit my teeth and say, ‘But I don’t have to LIKE them.’ I follow the code of the south and tack, ‘Bless his soul’ onto disparaging remarks and expect a social pass. Trust me, that disparaging remark still falls under Luther’s cogent explanation of the 8th commandment. (We should fear and love God so that we do not belie, betray, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.)
Perhaps the first one I need to pray for is myself. I need to pray for forgiveness. I need to pray that my heart of stone will be removed so that I may be made the dwelling place of God’s Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26 & 27). If I listen to the words of the liturgy that prayer is already there: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.’ (Psalm 51:10).
Forgive me, Father. I cannot, on my own, keep from fearing and hating those who hate and despise me, my faith, and or my country. I find their actions abhorrent and in anger would strike out seeking revenge. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew Your Living Spirit of love and peace within me. Teach me to forgive as Your Son, from the cross, asked you to forgive me. This I ask in the name of Jesus who gave Himself for me as well as for those who hate me. Amen
Now, now comes the second part, the hardest part. Now I must pray for (and really mean it) those who hate me. It is important to realize that the instruction is to pray for my enemies, not for the success of my enemies. Finding examples of this type of prayer is more difficult. The psalms are full of petitions for protection from and destruction of enemies. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes these psalms as the prayers of Christ for His body, the church.) The prayers of the church mirror the psalms and include prayers for peace and protection. There are canticles asking God to keep His promises to ‘save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us.’ (Luke 1:71) But prayers for our enemies are rare. Abraham prayed for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16 – 32); the slave girl spoke of the power of God to Naaman the leper (2 Kings 5:1 – 3); and Christ prayed for sinners from the cross (Luke 23:34).
My first attempts sound rather much like the thank-you notes written by a child who really did not like the gift but was forced to write the note. The prayer was the reluctant obedience to a command, not the natural response of love for my neighbor. That was what was missing. The realization that my enemies are also my neighbors. I am quick to recognize that I should show God’s love and mercy to the unfortunate but slow to acknowledge that neighbor obligations include my enemies. (Luke 10:30 – 37) Paul’s dissertation on love (Romans 12:9 – 21) concludes by quoting Proverbs 25:21 & 22. My pride keeps me from responding to the gospel instead of the law alone. It is hard to reflect the agony of Christ on the cross pleading for His Father to forgive his enemies or to acknowledge my own tortured struggles to pray for my enemies. I am reluctant to see that often the anger, hatred, fear, or enmity that others feel towards me is rooted in my own actions or status. Only by grace can I pray:
Hear me, Father, as I pray for my enemies. For my enemies who also love You, so fill them with Your love and Spirit that there is no more room for hate. If their enmity towards me is based in my own sin, show me that sin and lead me towards a life that more perfectly reflects your love. Do not let pride or blindness keep me from repentance and change that will glorify You. For my enemies whose lives and words proclaim their rejection of You, empty their hearts of hatred and anger and instead fill their hearts and minds with Your love and peace. If my life and or words continue to fuel their hatred and anger, show me the more perfect life and words that will show Your love especially to those who reject You. I ask this boldly in the name of Your Son who died for both me and for my enemies. Amen
With Luther I admit that I ‘daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment.’ I pray that I too ‘will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against’ me. (Luther’s explanation to the 5th petition ofThe Lord’s Prayer.) My prayers for my enemies must be as regular as morning, evening, and meal time prayers. They must be as fervent as the prayers for healing and protection, and must be offered with thanksgiving. (Philippians 4:4 – 7)
Lord, teach me to pray.
© Natalie Grace, November, 2014
