A Child’s Prayer For Their Enemy

It is unavoidable that we will have conflicts with other people. However, sometimes our conflicts with other people are not mere ordinary conflicts. We are talking about other people who have done us wrong or have betrayed us. It could be a friend who lied so that they could pass the blame onto you, or it could be that someone has physically hurt you by pushing you or punching you. There are many instances where someone can hurt and wrong us. We feel hurt by what others do to us, and at the same, we may feel hatred and bitterness against that person who has done us wrong. However, as children of God, we should not judge them or avenge ourselves. Instead, we should forgive them.

How do you pray for someone you don’t like?

When you pray for someone you don’t like, you don’t pray for curses or misfortune upon the person. You pray for the person’s good just as you pray for those you love. Here is one example of how you can pray for someone you hate:

Heavenly Father, I pray for [the person] that you would continue to pour out Your grace and mercy toward them. I pray that You would protect them from any harm or danger, both physical and spiritual. I also pray, Father, that You would provide them with the things they need. Bless them, and may they continue to grow more in holiness and Christlikeness. Convict them, Holy Spirit, of the things that they have done wrong. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If the person you don’t like is not yet a Christian, the most important thing you can pray for them is to encounter Jesus in their life.

How do you pray for someone who betrays you?

Being betrayed is a really painful thing to go through. You feel betrayed because the person who has hurt you was close to you or was a friend. It may be hard to pray for a person who betrayed you, but it is the right response to have. We should pray for them instead of hating them or cursing them. Here is a prayer you can pray for someone who betrayed you:

Father in heaven, let it be that what [the person who betrayed you] did to me will not be counted against them but convict them, Holy Spirit, of what they did. I pray that they will grow more in Your grace and bear the fruit of the Spirit in their life. I pray that You will always protect them and keep them safe from all kinds of danger. I pray that You will give them the strength and grace they need in their everyday life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Similar to what was mentioned earlier, if the person who betrayed you is not yet a Christian, by all means, pray for the person to know the Gospel and follow Jesus.

Where in the Bible does it say to pray for your enemies?

Jesus tells us to love our enemies in [Luke 6:27-36]. Part of loving our enemies is praying for them. Jesus tells us that we should do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who abuse us. This is doing the opposite thing that the person did to us. That is why Jesus used the analogy that when someone slaps you on your cheek, you don’t slap them back, but you offer your other cheek. Jesus also said in [Matthew 5:38-39] that when someone has wronged us, it is not the case of “an eye for an eye.” In other words, we don’t retaliate. 

If you find it hard to pray for your enemies, here is one simple prayer you can pray:

Heavenly Father, give me the grace that I may be able to pray for my enemies and speak blessings upon them instead of curses. Help me, Father, to respond in grace, mercy, and love toward them instead of with hate and bitterness. I pray that You would give me the grace, Father, to let go of any hatred or bitterness toward them because harboring these feelings will never do me any good. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Loving our enemies and praying for them is, indeed, not an easy thing to do but it is the right and Christlike thing to do. That separates us, children of God, from those who are not. God also did the same to us. Before we were in Christ, we were God’s enemies because of our sin. But because God is gracious and merciful, He sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty of our sin, so we are now brought back close to God and adopted as His children.