As I write this post, the United States is still buzzing over the recent Spy Balloon incursions into North America. In God’s providence, I had not yet finalized my edits to part 5 of our series on prayer in the Gospel of Luke. It occurred to me that there’s fertile ground here for the application. But application without observation and interpretation of the text is fertile ground for misapplication of the text. So let’s start there.
The Text
Luke 6:28 (ESV) Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
If there’s one teaching on prayer in the Gospel of Luke that I’d like to skip, it would be this one—praying for my enemies. It is probably one aspect of prayer that I fail to apply the most. When dealing with my enemies, I have no problem remembering to pray for my protection and well-being; however, the command is to “pray for those who abuse you.” Self-interest keeps my mind and prayers entertained by praying for my own concerns rather than praying for my enemies. That is an attitude and mindset that needs to be repented of and is not a reflection of the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:1-5).
If praying absent of self-interest doesn’t come naturally (think: in the flesh), then how much more unnatural (think: in the Spirit) is it to pray for our enemies? But isn’t that what God desires for us, to pray in the spirit and not according to the flesh?
Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
Ephesians 6:18, “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
Jude 20, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus of course knows the command to bless and pray for your enemies is subversive to your flesh and expectations of the world. Jesus says in the verses that follow, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32). We can see clearly from the text that the command to pray for our enemies belongs to a broader teaching to love our enemies. Prayer is a specific application of love that Jesus commands regardless of the infraction or type of enemy:
(27) But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, (28) bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. (29) To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. (30) Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. (31) And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them (Luke 6:27-31).
We are to love, do good to, bless, and pray our enemies. How? In the text, we see two examples or scenarios: 1) one of insult and 2) one of stealing. Some use, or I’d argue misuse, the first illustration of being struck on the cheek as a proof text for Christian nonviolence, pacifism, and so forth. I do not think this interpretation will pass muster, particularly with other clear teachings in Scripture that praise and encourage defending the helpless and delivering the oppressed (Isa. 1:17; Jer. 22:3; Psa. 82:1-8; and Pro. 31:8-9). But I digress. Suffice it to say, striking a person on the cheek would be an example of public humiliation. I summarize it here simply as an insult. The other illustration Jesus gives is of theft or stealing. In both examples that Jesus gives of loving our enemies, the “do[ing] good” looks materially different. An insult differs from theft.
Can you imagine Jesus saying, “To the one who strikes you on the cheek, do not withhold your tunic either,” or “[To the] one who takes away your cloak, offer the other [cheek]”? The material application of Jesus’s command to love our enemies must look different for it to be of any “good” to our enemies. The same could be said of our prayers.
While the expectation to pray for our enemies is always there, the substance of the prayer for our enemies may look different. Praying for our enemies shouldn’t be a blanket prayer of blessing. Try these hypothetical prayers on for size: “Lord, please bless the insult ministry of my boss” or “Lord, please bless the theft ministry of the stranger who stole my wallet.” Or, in current events, “Lord, please expand China’s the ‘weather balloon’ program.” I’m sorry, that dog won’t hunt. So, you ask, how do I pray for my enemies?
Different Strokes for Different Blokes
As I said earlier, the material or outward expression of love for our enemies differs based on the nature of the sin against you (theft, dishonor, and so forth). Giving your shirt to someone who insults you with a slap on the face would only extend your insult. Turning your cheek to the one who stole your coat wouldn’t add up. The material expression of love correlates to the offense, the offender, and the offended. Jesus’s illustrations of insult and theft communicate a general truth or principle. They are not axiomatic. Don’t miss the forest through the tree.
A Principled Approach to Praying for Our Enemies
Just as the outward expression of love will vary depending on the nature of our enemy and the offense, so too will our prayers look different depending on the nature of the offense, offender, and offended parties. Rightly identifying these variables will help us grasp a principled approach to praying for our enemies.
The Offense. Are we talking about I’m offended, as in this upset my sensibilities? Or am I talking about sin? There is a difference between being offended and being sinned against. Were you offended because John got the job? Or were you sinned against because John got the job because you’re a Christian? Our prayer will look different depending on the nature of the offense or sin. Either way, I have a moral obligation to pray for John. But how I pray for John or my prospective employer will look different if it was a violation of my feelings versus a violation of God’s law. In the illustrations from Luke 6, both insult and theft are violations of God’s law so moving forward when talking about an offense from our enemies, I’ll be talking about sin.
The Offender. Ask yourself, is this really my enemy? If so, in what way? In the American Civil War, there were Christians on both sides of the conflict. In one sense, Confederate and Union soldiers could clearly say that a believer on the other side of the Mason Dixon was their enemy from the perspective of the statesmen rightly concerned about their state interest and statecraft. In another real sense, Confederate and Union soldiers could clearly say that a believer on the other side of the Mason Dixon was not their enemy from the perspective of their citizenship in the Kingdom of God. You can see how easily the lines between states and individuals can be blurred when trying to distinguish who is my enemy. The nature of how one is my enemy will undoubtedly impact the manner of my prayer. For instance, if someone is a fellow believer, then they are not your enemy in that you are both united to Christ and coheirs with Christ. Even still, fellow believers will sometimes operate as your enemy (James 4:1, 4) and sin against you. Additionally, from a perspective of statecraft, a believer may be an enemy from a perspective of statehood or citizenship. Regardless of whether someone is truly your enemy or merely operating as an enemy, let your love or hatred in prayer only extend so far as God’s own love or hatred of something.
The Offended. At least two parties are harmed in any offense (theft, insult, etc.): 1) the person or persons sinned against, and 2) God, who is the only basis for understanding something as morally offensive or wrong. Without a righteous God who has given his righteous law, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. His word is what defines something as right or wrong. Without the truth of God’s word, there would not even be grounds for defining who is rightly considered an enemy. God is always the more important party offended. Yes, you are an offended party too. But to sin against anyone is to sin against someone made in the image of God. Thus, sin is an affront to God himself. Regardless of whether one’s sin is directly or indirectly aimed at God; every sin is an affront to the glory of God.
What about Spy Balloons?
Back to the spy balloons. How do I take this principled approach to pray for my enemies and apply it to China and spy balloons? Obviously, I’m asking this question from the vantage point of a Christian living in the United States. The Offense. Theft.
The offense fits nicely into the categories illustrated by Jesus in Luke 6. The PRC flying spy balloons over the US is not only an insult to our sovereignty but also the theft of information and communications. The Offender. The PRC.
The offender appears to be the PRC, a valid nation-state in strategic competition with the United States. I find it plausible to assume that there may be some believers in China who are knowingly or unknowingly complicit in spy operations. The Offended. God and the US.
The US and other nations have been offended, but we must remember if there is a violation of God’s moral law (like theft of a nation’s information and communications) then God is the vital offended party. God is offended not because the offense is against America or Americans. He is offended because of the violation of his moral law. God is equally offended when America as a nation, or Americans as individuals, violate his moral law.
How to Pray. Pray like David in Psalm 139.
David was conscious of his enemies and their threat to his life when he prayed “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps 139:23-24). Pray for God to raise America’s own awareness of our sin and violation of God’s moral law. Pray for America’s own repentance and for us to have submissive hearts to God’s law-word that leads “in the way everlasting.”
David was also conscious of and disturbed by the defamation of God’s glory by his enemies when he prayed “Oh that you would slay the wicked.” David is justified for hating his enemies with a perfect or complete hatred in Psalm 139. He is hating the insult to God’s glory not the wrongdoers without cause. Pray for the demise of the wicked if they refuse to repent and relent from breaking God’s law. Pray that the plans of the wicked would be foiled and that righteousness would flourish in the PRC.
David could have been self-absorbed in his suffering and prayed only with respect to his own interests: “Lord, me…me…me….” Instead, David was focused on the offense against God. “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?” Maintaining a Godward focus drastically changes how we approach praying for our enemies. Remember to let your love or hatred in prayer only extend so far as God’s own love or hatred of something.
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