A Prayer For An Enemy

If there is one person we might find it hard to pray for, it is our enemy. It is understandable if we find it hard to pray for them. After all, we’re talking about someone whom we have qualms with. The qualms we have with our enemy could be an unusual thing. Our enemy might have done something to hurt us, perhaps betrayed our trust, caused harm to our loved ones, and other possibly horrible actions. However, the Bible clearly says that we are to love and pray for them.

Father in heaven, soften my heart and stir up compassion and grace in me so that I will respond in grace, mercy, and love towards my enemy instead of hate, and put that into action by praying for him/her. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Why Should You Pray For Your Enemy?

We should pray for our enemy because the Bible commands us to do so. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and pray for those persecuting us. If we love our enemies, we must put that into action by showing them mercy and praying for them. (But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Matthew 5:44)

The bottom line of why we pray for our enemy is love. The world teaches that we are only to love those who love us. However, if we love like that, even unbelievers do the same (Matthew 5:46-47). What makes Christians different in the way we love others is that even our enemies, who are hard to love, are also the people to whom we show love.

The apostle Paul wrote that same teaching in his letter to the church in Rome (Romans 12:14-21). He wrote that we are not to repay evil with evil; instead, we are to think and do what is honorable. We are not to overcome evil with evil but overcome it with good. If our enemies need anything, including help, we are to offer it to them. It would be like heaping burning coals on their heads.

Prayer is one of the ways we respond with love to our enemies. The prayers we pray for them are not just superficial prayers done out of obligation. We pray for them with all fervency and sincerely seek their well-being. Just as we pray for others out of agape (sacrificial) love, we can pray from the same heart for our enemies.

Loving our enemies is indeed a difficult thing to do. What motivates us to love is the very love, grace, and mercy that God has shown us in the person of Christ. God showed His love for us through Christ dying for us while we were still sinners (But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8). When we realize how we were also once God’s enemies because of our sins, and yet, He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins, so that in Him we might receive forgiveness, eternal life, and adoption into His family. This alone should move us to love and show grace and mercy to our enemies. Remember, we were also forgiven sinners who were made righteous and adopted as God’s children in Christ.

Holy Spirit always remind me of the mercies of the Father that were shown to me in the person of Christ and how I was forgiven by His grace and therefore freed from sin. May the Gospel always motivate me to love my enemies and pray for them in a way that seeks their well-being. Help me show mercy and grace towards my enemies continually. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How Can I Pray For My Enemies?

We pray for our enemies just as we pray for ourselves and our loved ones. As we pray for our loved ones, we seek their well-being with prayer requests that we lift towards God (Philippians 4:6-7). The same is true when we pray for our enemies. Perhaps a good question to ask yourself is, “How can you seek the well-being of your enemy through your prayers?” Is it by praying for his or her physical needs, like financial provision? Is it done by praying for their emotional healing or strength while they go through something challenging?

Below is an example of a prayer you can pray for your enemy:

Heavenly Father, I pray for [name of the person] that Your grace will meet him where he is right now, especially in this season when he is going through something difficult. Give him the strength he needs to face his daily life with all his duties and responsibilities. Provide for his financial needs as well. Thank You because You are the God of all comfort and the Father of all mercies. Heal his heart, and cause the work of his hands to grow and bear fruit. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If the person you consider an enemy is not a believer, then the most important prayer you can pray for them is to hear the Gospel, believe it, and repent. Of course, it could be that you are God’s tool for them to hear the Gospel, so you should step out in faith and boldness to preach the Gospel to them.

Holy Spirit, give me the boldness to preach the Gospel to someone whom I have qualms with and help me preach the Gospel to him out of love. As he hears the Gospel, I pray that You will work in his heart and turn his heart of stone to one of flesh so that he may receive the Gospel and repent. Open his spiritual eyes so that he can see his need for Christ, who He is, and the greatest treasure we could ever imagine. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Also, another thing you can do as you pray for your enemy, whether they are a fellow believer in church or not, is approach them and ask them about what you can pray for them or if you can pray for them at that moment. That is what Paul meant by heaping burning coals on their heads. Both of you are in conflict, yet you stepped out in faith and love and sought to ask if there is anything you could pray for them.

We love because God first loved us (We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19). It is difficult to love and pray for our enemies, which is why God’s love must first consume us. We cannot give what we do not have. It is only when we are full of God’s love that we can love those people who are difficult to love and even go the extra mile when it comes to loving our enemies.