Monday, March 17

Pray for Those Who Persecute You

Monday, March 17

Matthew 5:44

Honestly, few of us can relate to the part of Christ’s mandate which directs us to “pray for those who persecute you…” (Mt. 5:44)

I don’t believe that I know anyone personally who has been “persecuted” for following Christ. The word Jesus used for persecuted had a root which meant to be chased or pursued. I will say that I have heard of much persecution second hand. For example, a missionary in Columbia whom we support reports that a local witch doctor has been persecuting the spouse of a believer, through various hostile means, mainly because the person follows Christ.

Voice of the Martyrs reports that every day we see 13 Christians killed for their faith, and 12 church buildings are attacked, and the same number of believers are daily arrested for following Jesus.

About five years ago, our church was spray painted, and recently someone drove on our grassy parking lot island in numerous donuts, but these are relatively tepid compared to instances of acid being thrown on people or horrendous assaults and death….

Some of us may have suffered the opposite: alienation, marginalization. This happens when the people who learned of our faith in Christ simply moved further away from us, rather than making an aggressive assault.

Of course, we should be thankful, and we are. But still we should ask ourselves, “Am I not being persecuted because I don’t openly talk about Christ?” That is a very real possibility. What are we ashamed of? Our relationship with a loving Savior? Do people even know we are Christians? Have we ever told someone we are, or invited him or her to church? Do we assume or fear that people will be offended by the invite or association with us?

We do need to do more to share Jesus with people who don’t know Him. Do it, and see what happens.
But the first part of Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 5:44 we have all confronted: “But I say to you, love your enemies…” A very few enemies will persecute, but most simply treat us with a tone of disdain or aloofness. Are we praying for them? Are we thanking God for them? (I Thess. 5:18)

The idea of us loving our enemies is both unnatural and Christlike. But such love is at the heart of the Passion of our Lord: “Father forgive them.…” Try that and see what happens. Our forgiveness of others – even or especially when they don’t ask for it – when they know not what they do – will affect not only us but also those for whom we pray. Any onlookers will notice those effects and changes, too.

Love conquers! Pray and praise the Lord!