“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27–28 NIV).
My hands clenched the steering wheel as I drove to work. I hated my boss. My former boss was demoted and my new boss created a toxic work environment, including poor communication, bullying, and borderline sexual harassment.
Our key verse tells us to love our enemies, do good and pray for them, so I started praying for my boss, his wife, and his children every day on the way to work. Initially, that was incredibly difficult for me, but it got easier.
Let’s look at three reasons to pray for our enemies.
Jesus said so
The religious rulers of Jesus’ day taught that you should love those close to you but hate your enemies. Yet, Jesus’ teachings in our key scripture to love and pray for your enemies completely overturned the Old Testament laws.
Now, most people think “me first”, step on others to get to the top, and only give to get something in return. But in God’s Kingdom, the last will be first, the greatest will be a servant, and those who lose their life will save it (Matthew 20:16, 26-27).
Jesus did it
Even after being arrested, mocked, tortured and whipped, spat upon, and nailed to a cross, Jesus prayed for His enemies who were crucifying Him (Luke 23:32-35).
Also, Jesus showed how to love the enemy and do good. Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion, even though he was a Gentile and a member of the Roman government that occupied Israel and levied burdensome taxes (Matthew 8:5-13).
Jesus knows who the real enemy is
My real enemy was not my boss. Your real enemy is not your neighbor who won’t clean up after their dog, or the person who cut you off in traffic, or the coworker who mistreats you, or the people who look or think differently than you.
The real enemy is Satan, who Jesus defeated on the cross. But Satan still has limited power to promote evil and cause harm.
The Holy Spirit gives us the armor of God to fight Satan’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11–18).
Jesus set the example for us when tempted in the wilderness. For every temptation, His response was, “It is written.” To fight the real enemy, Satan, trust in God’s power and use God’s Word as your weapon, not personal feelings or opinions (Luke 4:1-13).
Final words
Did my prayers change my boss’s inappropriate behaviors? No, but my attitude shifted, and I tolerated the situation until I could transfer to a different department. My perspective changed; I saw my boss as someone in need of God’s love.
Furthermore, I praised God because His plan unfolded, enabling me to use my new job skills to find a perfect job near family.
Today, how can you live out Jesus’ command to love and pray for your enemies?
