Why Should We Pray For Our Enemies

WHY SHOULD WE PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES

INTRODUCTION

A man once said, “I told my wife I would forgive my enemies… but I didn’t know she was going to give me a list!”

We laugh at that, but if we are honest, most of us already have people in our minds right now. Someone who hurt us. Someone who lied about us. Someone who made life difficult.

Let me ask you a simple question:

Is it easy to love your enemies?

No.

Is it natural?

Not at all.

In fact, everything inside us says, “Get even. Fight back. Make them feel what they did to you.”

But Jesus teaches something completely different. Something shocking. Something uncomfortable.

In Matthew 5:44, Jesus says,

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

This is not a suggestion. It is a command.

So today, we are going to answer this question:

Do we really have to pray for our enemies?

And the answer is yes—but not just because God said so.

It is because it changes our hearts, our lives, and even our enemies.

WHY WE NEED TO PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES?

First,

I. PRAYING FOR YOUR ENEMIES IS A COMMAND FROM GOD

Let us start with the truth.

Remember this is not optional.

Let us read again Matthew 5:44, Jesus clearly says,

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Jesus did not say, “Pray for them if they apologize.”

Jesus did not say, “Pray for them if they deserve it.”

Jesus said, “Pray for them” period.

Why is this so hard?

Because our flesh wants revenge.

In Romans 12:21, the Bible says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Do you know what this world says? The world says, “Fight fire with fire.”

But God says, “Fight fire with water.”

There was a woman at work who had a coworker constantly spreading rumors about her. This coworker tried to ruin her reputation.

Every day, the woman felt angry. She wanted to defend herself and attack back.

But one day, she decided to obey God. She began to pray for that coworker every morning.

At first, her prayer was simple.

“Lord… you know what she did.”

But slowly her prayer changed. “Lord, bless her. Help her. Change her heart.”

Weeks later, something unexpected happened.

That coworker came to her and said, “I don’t know why, but I feel bad for how I treated you.”

Friend, that is the power of obedience.

We pray for our enemies not because they deserve it, but because God commands it.

Secondly,

II. PRAYING FOR OUR ENEMIES CHANGES YOUR HEART

When we pray for someone who hurt us, something powerful happens not just to them, but to us as well.

We must always remember that “Bitterness is dangerous.” This is the problem of the heart.

In Hebrews 12:15, the Bible says, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.”

Yes, bitterness will steal our peace, control our thoughts, and damage our spirit.

When we pray for our enemies, we are letting God remove bitterness from our hearts.

A man once shared how his father abandoned him as a child. For years, he carried anger and pain.

As an adult, someone told him, “You need to pray for your father.”

He said, “Never. He does not deserve it.”

But one day, he tried. His first prayer was very short:

“God… I don’t even mean this… but help my father.”

He kept praying daily. Something changed.

Months later, he said,

“I realized the anger was gone. I was finally free.”

His father had not changed yet—but this son had changed.

Here is the simple truth. When we pray for our enemies- our anger becomes peace, our hatred becomes compassion, and our burden becomes freedom.

Yes, God is not just working on them. He is working on us.

The last reason that I want to share is…

III. PRAYING FOR OUR ENEMIES MAKES YOU LIKE JESUS

The greatest example is Jesus Himself.

When Jesus was on the cross, suffering and dying, He prayed for the very people hurting Him.

In Luke 23:34, Jesus said,

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Think about that.

They mocked Him.

They beat Him.

They nailed Him to the cross.

And yet, Jesus prayed for them.

That Is Real Love

In Romans 5:8 says,

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus did not wait for us to become good. He loved us while we were still sinners.

There was this Christian man who once had a neighbor who constantly insulted him, complained about him, and made life difficult.