Who do you pray for regularly? My guess is you pray for your family and friends. Your parents and your kids. Yourself. But what about your enemies? Do have your enemies on your prayer list?
Exiles Pray for Enemies
In Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah was writing to God’s people who had already been taken into exile in Babylon. False prophets had been saying they would only be in exile for two years and then they could come right back (Jeremiah 28:1-4). So they should resign themselves to defeat for those two years and ride it out. But God’s plan was very different. God told Jeremiah to tell the people that they would be there for seventy years so they should settle in, build houses, plant gardens, get married, have children, and pray for the peace of Babylon (Jeremiah 29:4-14).
Although God does not always want His people to intentionally settle in and live among their enemies (like in the book of Joshua they are told to conquer their enemies and drive them out) God’s plan was for this particular time for them to do so with the Babylonians. This was all part of God’s plan as He says in one of the most famous verses in the Bible Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Although God’s people throughout time and history are not always supposed to settle in with our enemy, we do see throughout Scripture that we are supposed to pray for our enemies like God’s people were in Jeremiah’s day.
Why does God want us to pray for our enemies?
- Their welfare is our welfare. In some cases, especially when your enemy is someone you need to interact with regularly, their life will directly effect your life. We see this in Jeremiah 29:7 “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
- Out of obedience. Jesus commands us to pray for our enemies during the Sermon on the Mount in Luke 6 and Matthew 5:43-47. Solomon also tells us it is wise to be kind to our enemies. Proverbs 25:21-22 says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”
- So we can be set apart from the world. Jesus says in both Matthew 5 and Luke 6 that even sinners and the worldly people are loving to people who love them back. Christians are to be different. They are to pray for their enemies unlike the rest of the world who does not know God.
- So we can have a reward. Both Matthew and Luke mention a reward for those who are kind to their enemies. We don’t have any more details about the reward, but coming from God, I KNOW it’s got to be good!!
- To be Christ-like. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:7-8). He even prayed for us (John 17). And while our prayers for our enemies may never change our enemies’ hearts, they will change ours. That is what sanctification is all about. Our hearts changing to be more Christ-like.
What are we supposed to pray for our enemies?
Different Bible translations use different words for what exactly the people in Jeremiah’s day were supposed to pray for their enemies. The NIV says peace and prosperity. KJV says peace. ESV and NASB says welfare.
The Hebrew word is Shalom. Shalom carries the meaning of peace, prosperity, success, welfare, safety, soundness, wholeness, health.
Shalom wants the best for people.
The next time you are praying through your prayer list, make sure to pray shalom for your enemies.
What about you? Do you regularly pray for your enemies? If so what difference has it made? If not, why not?
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Well done! Love these questions!
I’d have to say that once I started thinking of others as “someone for whom Jesus died” . . . the people who would ordinarily be labeled ‘enemies’ went away. Yes, there are still people I don’t want to spend time with if I can avoid it (various reasons), but when you look at others –and sometimes it’s a struggle!– the way Jesus did, you feel less hostile toward them.
That’s a great idea! What a great reminder that keeps us humble.
This is so helpful. I find I’m far more likely to do something hard if I understand why it’s important. I love your list of reasons why we are to pray for our enemies. I have definitely found that praying for people with whom I have a difficult relationship changes my own heart toward them over time. It somehow enables me to extend grace more readily.
Hello Rachel!
Your article came in time! In the last two years I have made a mental list of every enemy I have had in my life. I begin with the recent one and go back in memory as long I can. I can go down to age 4. I pray for every one of them.
With my recent enemies, although I have asked for help from my manager. My manager asked me to wrote details of what exactly happened. But I have chosen to admit my mistakes and praise my enemeies for finding them. I did not hide my mistakes. Tomorrow morning I will be giving in writing that I admit making mistakes, and say No More.
That writing will have a special thanks to my newfound friends! (formerly, enemies).
Jes
Wow! Praise the Lord! What freedom you have because of praying for your enemies.
Rachel,
Kindly edit my reply.
Please delete the word “although”
My manager…please correct it to “write” rather than “wrote”.
Thank you.
Jes
Praise the Lord! It’s amazing how God changes our hearts through the process.