Seventy Times Seven
This week, my friend Remi and I made prayer boards. We wrote topics we committed to praying about daily on flashcards and pinned them to a corkscrew board. Indubitably, our family, friends, mental health, and future husbands were points on our boards. However, we felt the Lord calling us to write another topic card. Our enemies.
How can we pray for people who rise against us like the ocean’s tide and surround us on all sides? How do we bless the people who find the areas we have thin skin and twist a piercing blade within? Praying for your enemies is an act of vulnerability in which you must rely on Him for stability. We cannot through our strength, but through Christ working with our weakness.
Normally, we simply prayed for God to change our enemies’ hearts and actions. However, God challenged us to pray for blessings over their lives. Romans 12:14 states, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” We committed to blessing them daily. As the week progressed, I found my attitude began to shift. It became more natural to pray for them. Instead of feeling hatred, my heart began to soften.
A beautiful blessing manifests in our lives when we pray for our enemies. 1 Peter 3:9 says, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” I experienced this blessing firsthand. The Lord provided peace amid persecution and lavished me in His love.
If you want to pray for your enemies, but aren’t sure how, this is a prayer you can pray over their lives:
Dear God,
I pray for my enemies. Make your face shine upon them and be gracious to them. I pray for blessing and prosperity over their lives in the name of Jesus. Wherever they go, may your goodness and mercy follow them. Thank you for being at work in their lives. Help them live with their cup half full because of your favor and provision.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Here is a prayer for strength to forgive your enemies:
Dear God,
I pray for strength to forgive and bless my enemies. Lift the weight of unforgiveness and hate. Help me let my offenses go; for what I reap, I will sow. I pray you will help me see my own mistakes and extend immeasurable grace. Lord, by your strength, help me be humble and meek and turn my other cheek. I pray I will forgive seventy times seven and love my enemies as You do in heaven.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Seventy Times Seven
Clouds dark in the sky, weather dreary.
My soul is heavy and weary.
Feel like I am carrying weight
burdened with unforgiveness and hate.
Lord, help me to forgive
and enable me to live.
Help me let my offenses go.
For what I reap, I will sow.
Please help me see my own mistakes
and extend immeasurable grace.
Help me stay humble and meek
and turn my other cheek.
Help me forgive seventy times seven
and love my enemies as you do in heaven.
(Based on Galatians 6:7, Matthew 5:5, Matthew 5:39, Matthew 5:44, Matthew 18:22)
