How to Respond to Mistreatment
“But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.”
Matthew 5:44 (NCV)
How do you respond to mistreatment? The best way to avoid bitterness when you’ve been mistreated, exploited, or falsely accused is to pray for those who hurt you. The world says love your friends - not your enemies, but Jesus gave us a higher command. His law of love includes loving our enemies. Easier said than done, right? How do you love your enemies?
The first step in loving your enemies, Jesus tells us, is to pray for those who hurt you. Do you do that? Initially, I find that really challenging depending on how badly I’ve been hurt. My flesh wants to get mad, or worse, get even. But Jesus’ higher law of love is an act of the will, and not simply an emotion. It’s a choice. Loving your enemies is an expression of Calvary’s love. After all, God loved us when we were enemies. In Romans 5:10 (NIV), the Bible tells us, “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!”
When we choose to love our enemies, we are responding like Jesus. In the following verses of Matthew 5, Jesus said, “In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.” (Verses 45-47) What a contrast between how the world loves and how a Christ follower is to love!
Still, you may be wondering, ‘How do I love like that’? It begins in prayer. Let the hurt you feel drive you to pray. Be honest about your emotions with God. He cares about how you feel. Something miraculous happens when we pray with such honesty about those who have hurt us. God begins to heal our broken hearts, and we find it easier to replace the pain with compassion. Prayer takes the venom out of our attitudes. We don’t have to remain the victim even after we’ve been victimized. Through Christ, we have been given the victory! The Cross has broken the power of sin and enables us to love our enemies.
Jesus said this kind of love is a mark of maturity, proving that we are legitimate children of our Heavenly Father. It also sets us apart from the world around us and promises an eternal reward! Perhaps today’s passage has struck a chord in your heart. You’ve been wounded. Maybe it was long ago, or just recently, and try-as-you-may, the pain won’t go away. Take a moment right now and share that with God in prayer. Tell Him how you feel and begin to pray for those who hurt you. Release them to God and ask Him to help you love them as He loves you.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.