“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:43-45).
You may have heard it said that the way to get rid of your enemies is to kill them—with kindness. But some will even despise our efforts at expressing God’s love to them, suspecting its Source. What then?
We have the master plan laid out by the Great Soul Winner. If your love is rebuffed and your blessings are refused, there is one more recourse: “pray for those who spitefully use you.” J. Sidlow Baxter expressed this in the following way: “Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers.” God’s gracious Spirit works from within, behind enemy lines. Such prayers, Christ says, are dear to the Father’s heart.