Praying for our enemies

Since Friday night I’ve been thinking about how we are called as Christians to pray for our enemies: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 5&version=NIV

A beautiful prayer is “Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.”

I am stuck on “those in most need of thy mercy.” Those who have committed atrocities against humanity are surely among those who are in most need of mercy.

I think some cynics would say that we should save our prayers for the victims, but isn’t there plenty of prayer opportunity all around?

Praying for the victims and their loved ones and the first-responders isn’t difficult; praying for those who have committed such evil is. But I think this is what we are called to do.

nota bene said:

Since Friday night I’ve been thinking about how we are called as Christians to pray for our enemies: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 5&version=NIV

A beautiful prayer is “Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.”

I am stuck on “those in most need of thy mercy.” Those who have committed atrocities against humanity are surely among those who are in most need of mercy.

I think some cynics would say that we should save our prayers for the victims, but isn’t there plenty of prayer opportunity all around?

Praying for the victims and their loved ones and the first-responders isn’t difficult; praying for those who have committed such evil is. But I think this is what we are called to do.

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:agree Well stated!

Forgive them for they know exactly what they intend to do.

They feel that they will gain favor with Allah by killing infidels (non-believers that will not convert?). What would you pray for other than their conversion to some other faith or their speedy death? Is that not exactly what they are trying to accomplish?

I am praying that Jesus will be merciful and that they will have one last chance to experience genuine remorse and repentance.

nota bene said:

I am praying that Jesus will be merciful and that they will have one last chance to experience genuine remorse and repentance.

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I doubt that will be the case [on their parts] but, it's the right thing to believe.

AMEN

nota bene said:

Since Friday night I’ve been thinking about how we are called as Christians to pray for our enemies: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 5&version=NIV

A beautiful prayer is “Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.”

I am stuck on “those in most need of thy mercy.” Those who have committed atrocities against humanity are surely among those who are in most need of mercy.

I think some cynics would say that we should save our prayers for the victims, but isn’t there plenty of prayer opportunity all around?

Praying for the victims and their loved ones and the first-responders isn’t difficult; praying for those who have committed such evil is. But I think this is what we are called to do.

Click to expand...

Our sermon today was all about this. We even had a big prayer that we all said together calling for peace and forgiveness.

It is appropriate to pray for your enemies quick and painless death.

Pray for your enemies takes a lot of guts. But it also requires praying for deliverance from those who are evil. In the Lord's prayer the phrase "deliver us from evil"; from the evil that can be found in our own hearts but to also delivering us from evil men, that they may not be a snare to us, nor we a prey to them.

To tell you the truth if I were one of those Christians that was facing a beheading by those evil people in ISIS or Boko Haram etc, I would be reciting Psalm 109. I recommend all believers read that Psalm and see how David cried out to the LORD for deliverance from his enemies. Some of you may find it a little hard to swallow and outrageous. Yet David was asking the Lord to do exactly what God had said he would do to the proud and wicked. (Ex. 34:6-7; Job 40:12; Prov. 15:25; Jer. 50:32; Is. 13:11) According to James 4:6 God’s mind on the proud and wicked has not changed. David trusted himself to the good and just judgment of God to deal out the retribution. David would not take matters into his own hands. The Christian in the New Testament is still called to this. (Rom. 12:19).

in this respect, i'm not a very good Christian.

I'll pray for the innocent victims, but I offer no prayers for predators or brazen murderers.

the closet I get to praying for these terrorists in where I pray for the forces arrayed against them to be successful in bringing them to ultimate judgement... swiftly, and mercilessly.


if i were to pray for the predators, i'd think it would be tantamount to lying.. to myself, and the lord.
if i have to face judgment over this "indiscretion" of mine.. I'm prepared to do so.

We also said the Baptismal Covenant instead of the Nicene Creed, with the last 2 parts resonating with the powerful sermon of forgiveness.

Celebrant --- Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
People --- I will, with God's help.

Celebrant --- Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
People --- I will, with God's help.

nota bene said:

Since Friday night I’ve been thinking about how we are called as Christians to pray for our enemies: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 5&version=NIV

A beautiful prayer is “Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.”

I am stuck on “those in most need of thy mercy.” Those who have committed atrocities against humanity are surely among those who are in most need of mercy.

I think some cynics would say that we should save our prayers for the victims, but isn’t there plenty of prayer opportunity all around?

Praying for the victims and their loved ones and the first-responders isn’t difficult; praying for those who have committed such evil is. But I think this is what we are called to do.

Click to expand...

I think you should pray for your enemy, while you bury him.

nota bene said:

I am praying that Jesus will be merciful and that they will have one last chance to experience genuine remorse and repentance.

Click to expand...

Not gonna happen. Jesus might be merciful, but for Muslims to experience remorse and repentance is a death sentence to the Muslims, and worse, they do not get their 72 virgins.

nota bene said:

Since Friday night I’ve been thinking about how we are called as Christians to pray for our enemies: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 5&version=NIV

A beautiful prayer is “Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.”

I am stuck on “those in most need of thy mercy.” Those who have committed atrocities against humanity are surely among those who are in most need of mercy.

I think some cynics would say that we should save our prayers for the victims, but isn’t there plenty of prayer opportunity all around?

Praying for the victims and their loved ones and the first-responders isn’t difficult; praying for those who have committed such evil is. But I think this is what we are called to do.

Click to expand...

I am not a person of faith and find myself rather a cynic about it all actually but it's things like this that make me stop myself. It's a lovely and humane gesture and IMO is the only thing that will save us all in the end. Well done.

Thank you for your generous words, OpenDebate.