Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”
Matthew 5:43-47 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans that same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?”
Several years ago, I was publicly and harshly attacked for my PLUS ministry. It wasn’t an easy time, but it was a rewarding season of life filled with ample opportunities for growth, faith, and trust. During that time, the Lord directed my attention to Matthew 5 and impressed upon me to live out my Christianity by faithfully praying for the one who was attacking me. Specifically, I prayed that he would come to know the love, peace and fulfillment of God and accept His amazing grace. It wasn’t easy, but it was impactful. I have prayed daily for him ever since that time; I prayed for him this morning.
Far more than anything I experienced, we live in a time where pure evil is evident in the actions of others. Frankly, it is a time like many other times throughout history, though today, all it takes is a quick examination of the readily accessible news to see pure evil playing out in places like Eastern Europe. We see the powerful using their authority to harm and kill the weak. We are rightfully anxious, appalled, anguished and angered. We want to react with heart-felt hate. Yet, there is another option … a uniquely Christian alternative.
We should pray for those who are the most onerous among us – those with names like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un. Specifically, we should pray that these individuals and others like them would come to know the love, peace, and fulfillment of God and accept His amazing grace. It won’t be easy, but it will be impactful. We should pray for them daily; we should pray for them today.
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE LORD TO POSITIVELY IMPACT OUR STRUGGLING PLANET BY MOLDING THE HEARTS OF THOSE WE WANT TO HATE. As a distinctly Christian response to those whose actions are evil, we must pray for them!
