4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Nehemiah 4-6
Acts 13:13-41

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Nehemiah 4:4-5 (CSB): “Listen, our God, for we are despised. Make their insults return on their own heads and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity. Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from your sight, because they have angered the builders.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Sometimes our prayers are much more tame than what we’re feeling. That’s a problem, because God cares about what comes from our heart. If we’re feeling it, we need to share it with Him.

When we read Nehemiah, we can almost feel the frustration that Nehemiah was feeling. He had the noble task of leading the people to rebuild the fallen wall around Jerusalem. It would protect the city from invaders just like a house with a locked door.

But there were folks who didn’t want Jerusalem to have that wall built. They wanted the residents of Jerusalem to continue to feel defeated and helpless. So, they worked tirelessly to discourage Nehemiah and the people who were trying to rebuild the wall.

How did Nehemiah pray for those troublemakers? Did he pray for God to bless them? Did he pray for them to experience God’s love?

Those questions sound silly, but so many Christians think that Christian love (agape) means that we are softies, even to those who are causing trouble. We get frustrated and even angry at them in our hearts, but we often pray very tame prayers for them because we think that is what Christian love requires of us.

That is not true.

Just listen again to what Nehemiah prayed:

Nehemiah 4:4-5 (CSB): “Listen, our God, for we are despised. Make their insults return on their own heads and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity. Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from your sight, because they have angered the builders.”

Some may write this off by saying something like: “Well, that was an Old Testament prayer. New Testament saints are called to a higher standard. We aren’t supposed to pray against people, even our enemies.”

Listen as the Apostle Paul finds satisfaction at what would happen to someone who caused him trouble. Almost assuredly, he was praying about this as well…

2 Timothy 4:14-15 (CSB): “Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works. Watch out for him yourself because he strongly opposed our words.”

Christian love should not make us seem weak and helpless to those who observe us. When we love our enemies, people should see that it comes from a place of inner strength, a resolve that chooses to love even when we might be tempted to get retribution. But love sometimes has its limits, and we sometimes may feel that the Holy Spirit is allowing us to pray against someone.

As a pastor, I have dealt with more than my share of troublemakers behind the curtains of ministry. Some clearly had dark hearts. They didn’t even try too hard to conceal themselves in sheep’s clothing. And because they were harming the church, I often took a protective stance against them and often prayed against them. I do not believe it was wrong to do so.

However …

Realize that while it may be fine to pray against someone on occasion, we do find a higher standard in the New Testament. We are never more like Jesus than when we choose to love even our enemies. Yes, Jesus got furious at the Pharisees on occasion. But He also prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

So, are we allowed to sometimes pray against those who are doing us and the Kingdom harm? Yes. But just because we can doesn’t mean we should. If we feel we should, we need to draw closer to Jesus to hear our Shepherd’s voice, especially when we step beyond what is allowed.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you cultivate a Christ-like love for others, even those who seek to harm you.
  • But also ask God to give you the wisdom to know when to hold someone accountable for their actions, maybe praying against them, or telling someone in authority who can do something about it.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into how we ought to respond to those who oppose us, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean to pray for your enemies?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)