What Happens When You Pray for an Enemy

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

June 21st Sermon, Day 3

Praying for someone who has hurt you might be the last thing you feel like doing. It can even feel dishonest, like you are pretending everything is fine when it is not. But here is what is remarkable about prayer. You do not have to feel it to start. You just have to be willing.

When you begin to genuinely pray for someone who has wronged you, something quietly shifts inside you. Not always immediately. But over time, prayer has a way of softening what bitterness has hardened. You begin to see that person a little differently. Not through your hurt, but through God's eyes. And God sees them as someone He loves, someone He died for, someone who is also broken and in need of grace.

It is difficult to keep hating someone you are sincerely praying for. That is not a coincidence. That is how God designed it. Prayer does not erase what happened. It does not mean you are pretending the harm was not real. It means you are choosing to hand that person over to God rather than keeping them locked in the prison of your resentment. Start small if you need to. One honest prayer. That is enough to begin.

Bible Verse

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5:44

Reflection Question

Have you ever tried genuinely praying for someone who hurt you, and if so, what did you notice happening in your own heart over time?

Quote

"It's difficult to hate somebody when you are genuinely praying for them."

Prayer

God, I bring this person before You today, even though it is hard. I choose to trust You with them and with my own heart. Do what only You can do in both of us. Amen.