Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

You Mean I Have to Pray for HER?!?

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Have you ever felt like taking a gun and shooting someone? 

WHAT? I gulped and snuck a peek from under the hair hanging over my face. My husband elbowed me furiously. Had the pastor read my mind? Did he really ask that question?? 

To be honest, Yes. Yes, I felt like that yesterday. How did the pastor know? I’d only shared the story with one or two very close friends. I dared not look at them now!

I opened the bulletin, hoping to hide behind it, and there it was. The title of the sermon: Loving Your Enemy. Oh, no. It was going to be a long Sunday morning…

My mind drifted back to the hurtful words and actions of the person I called my enemy. Time after time, she wounded me. Must I love her?

Luke 6:27-28 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you”

The sermon touched on practical ways of loving your enemy (Could I love her?):

-Do good to them (uh, no, I’m not there yet…)

-Bless those who curse you (strike two, I just can’t even…)

-Pray for those who mistreat you (Pray? I can do this, can’t I?)

I was afraid that in loving this person, we would have to become friends. I’d have to invite her to dinner, go shopping with her, blah, blah, blah.  But, while God calls us to love all people, we are not called to be friends with them all. There has to be a level of trust in friendship. 

That’s when I committed to pray for this woman, my enemy. But not tomorrow. Tomorrow is when I pray for family. It would have to wait until – when? I don’t have many enemies, and I certainly don’t have a regular day to pray for them! {Sigh} She’ll have to be on Wednesday, when I pray for my sweet friends. I added a page to my prayer journal that said Wednesday: Friends/Other. She was the other.

When Wednesday rolled around, I saw first hand God’s sense of humor.  My reading that morning was from the “love” chapter of 1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). Come on, you know it, say it with me: Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous…love is not provoked, DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT A WRONG SUFFERED.

Ouch. OUCH! I not only took the wrongs into account, I kept track of them religiously!

I persevered in praying for my enemy for almost two years.  Did my prayers change her? No, not that I could see. So what changed? Me. My heart.

[tweetthis]Praying for my enemy changed me, not her.[/tweetthis]

How? I was able to see the good in her. It was the good that I had previously ignored. I also started to look for more good in her, more reasons to praise God for this woman. She was nothing like me, but I learned to appreciate who she was like: our Creator God. He creates us in His image. All of us, friends and enemies alike.

I began to see her as God saw her – His child, whom He dearly loves.  Jesus died on the cross for her as well as for me. I know I’m a long way from loving her in a Christ-like manner. But Jesus washed the feet of Judas, His betrayer (John 13:1-11). In light of that, and with His strength, I should be able to pray for my enemy.

Heavenly Father, I confess I don’t always see people the way You do. Forgive my limited sight. Lord, give me a heart to love like You do. God, soften my heart of stone. In Jesus name, Amen

Why On Earth Should I Pray?

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The scene played over and over in my mind. Like summer re-runs on tv, it kept looping through my thoughts. I re-lived every word. Could I have said or done anything differently? I had no peace about the situation. I tried to act like an adult by not moaning and groaning about it to everyone (not much, anyway). But my soul was greatly disturbed.

I was fighting mad, shadowboxing to try and resolve the situation that gnawed at me like termites on wood. Peace would not come.

During this time of angst, I was out of my normal morning routine of reading God’s Word and praying. Yes, I was reading my Bible each day, but unfortunately, I did not set aside time for a conversation with God. I wasn’t praying like I should have been.

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 NASB

God was faithful to place this scripture in my path that week. Like a big old boulder, He plunked it down right in front of me. There was no going around it. The thoughts in my mind were anything but quiet and peaceful. Paul tells us that we pray so that we can lead a tranquil life. I had neglected the one thing that could restore calm.

Could  Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane bring Him peace? He was brutally crucified. That doesn’t seem like a quiet and tranquil life to me. 

The original Greek word for quiet is hēsúchio, meaning undisturbed from without. Tranquil is from the Greek word ḗremos, meaning not easily upset or excited. Jesus could go to the cross because He was in constant contact with His Father through prayer.  His external circumstances did not disturb Him.

The battles and concerns I replayed over and over in my mind were things I should have taken to the Lord in prayer. There was nothing I could do in the circumstances. It was out of my hands; I needed to lay it at His feet. So I did.

[tweetthis]It was out of my hands; I needed to lay it at His feet.[/tweetthis]

Turning my concerns over to Jesus didn’t change my circumstances. Everything was the same; what was bothering me was still there. The difference was that praying about it gave me the peace of God. Through the power of prayer, I refused to let the situation excite me or disturb me. I had great peace. 

I like to think of it as prayer protection. Everything on the outside is still happening.  But now I am wrapped and protected in the arms of Jesus, sharing my concerns with Him. External circumstances do not disturb me. When I invite Jesus into my life and my situation He walks with me. I’d rather have Him by my side, experiencing His peace, than walk all alone.

Don’t let life’s circumstances rattle you. Give your concerns to the Lord in prayer. Lead the tranquil and quiet life He desires for you.

Father, I thank you that we can take all our burdens to You in prayer, so that we can lead a quiet and tranquil life. Thank You for the peace that prayer brings. In the precious and powerful name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Grace be with you,