Pray for Who? (Daily Refresh, 6-30-26)

All throughout Jesus’ ministry, He constantly turned things upside down for those listening. The religious leaders at the time had grown distant from following the laws of God. Jesus’ teaching helped bring them back to the heart of the law, but He often did so through surprising ways.

Most of us probably think we do a great job at loving other people. But if we’re being honest, most of us probably spend our time loving those who also love us back. It’s a lot easier to love the people who we’re friends with. When there’s trust built over time and common ground, it’s easy to love.

Jesus says that loving those who love you is not enough. In Luke 6:28, He challenges us even further. He says we’re to bless those who speak negatively about us, and we are to pray for those who mistreat us.

If you’ve ever been mistreated by someone, or had someone speak negatively about you, then you know how hard it can be to love that person. It is hard to love unloving people. And yet, Jesus did exactly that. When we were at our worst, He still loved us.

If you find it hard to bless those who mistreat you, begin with prayer. Between you and God in prayer, ask Him to help soften your heart. Ask Him for justice in a specific situation, but also for there to be restoration.

Every person who exists is a person Jesus wants to love. And when we make steps to love those who are unloving, we’re showing the love of Jesus to someone who needs it. As we take steps to pray for those who mistreat us, we become more like Jesus.

Take a few minutes right now to pray. Ask God to help you grow in love towards those around you. If there’s someone who has hurt you, ask God to begin healing your heart. Say a prayer for that person as well. Ask God to be with them, to help them, and to make a way for their heart to be softened as well. Thank Jesus that He loved us even when we were unloving.

My Thoughts

Many years ago when our oldest son was just a young boy, probably about ten or so, we had a habit of sharing prayers before we ate dinner together. One night, Scott asked to pray and his prayer stunned us. He asked God to “heap burning coals of fire on the heads of his enemies.” I think he also prayed for dinner, but there was stunned silence after his prayer for his enemies. I remember we ate and talked together about how we should pray for others, and his method wasn’t it. He showed us the verses in the Bible and we talked through it, telling him that it’s always better to let God handle the bullies in his life and let God decide what is best for them and for him.

Fast forward to today. How many times have I wanted to pray the same prayer my young son prayed? Too many to count! But God stopped me every time, reminded me of our conversation with Scott and whispered gently to me to see people the way He sees them, not the way I see them. Everyone, even those who seem totally undeserving, are created by God to have a relationship with Him. And if I just discard them, I am disdaining part of God’s good creation.

The point of the prayer is to eventually bring restoration to a relationship. But a big part of praying for others is changing my heart, not the heart of the person for whom I am praying. Changing their heart is up to them and to God, but I am the only one who can adjust my attitude and ask God to help me to be His hands and voice to the unlovable.