Dear readers
First of all, I have to apologize to you that the regularity of my posts is not exactly outstanding at the moment. This is partly due to the change in my job and partly because I sometimes have a thousand thoughts in my head and I would like to get to the bottom of them all. I am preoccupied with the question of the soft and the hard heart, or the first part of the Sermon on the Mount from last Sunday's service, the story of the scoffers and fools and how to deal with them, or the armor from Ephesians 6. On the one hand, I feel obliged to contribute to you, but for the most part I feel obliged to Jesus. And since sometimes there is less, sometimes more, there are gaps in contributions.
I don't want to write anything from a human perspective, but I want to always be inspired and blessed by God. And that's how Monday's verse of the day caught my eye.
Luke 6:28
“Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who abuse you”
I think that this is a fairly high demand on us. After all, praying for the people who are close to us is actually easy, isn't it?
The chemistry is right, the worldview, the faith and morally too you are almost on the same level. Blessing and praying are easy.
But with those who diss us, who slander us, who curse us and insult us, it is much more difficult. But….
James 5:16
“The prayer of a man who is guided by God’s will is effective and accomplishes much.”
And these are not just nice words that cannot be put into practice, but when we follow this call because we want to, then God's power and blessing unfolds in an incredible way.
A slightly different example:
When I was working as a temporary employee in a printing company almost 20 years ago, I was assigned to a printer who cursed and sworn all day long. I heard the phrase "God damn me" so many times that I lost count. And my timid attempts to show him what he was saying about his life had no effect.
But a pastor friend of mine gave me the tip to start praying for him and blessing him. Firstly, to counteract what he was saying about himself and secondly, to protect myself.
And so I tried to implement this advice in my quiet time in the morning. And the first steps were really pitiful. I didn't know exactly what this blessing would look like and what I could specifically pray for. But even with prayer, "learning by doing" applies and over time it became easier for me.
However, since my assignment there ended after a few months, I can't say that I noticed a big change in him. However, I did notice the change that took place in me through praying for someone else. Because prayer ALWAYS works both ways.
And today I forgive those who have hurt, insulted or slandered me quite quickly. And then it usually doesn't take long before I start praying for these people. And it's still the case that I can't see the effects of prayer on others, but I always see the change that takes place in me.
I can let go of the anger and hurt and feel this incredible balance that only God can provide. This balance then enables me to have loose contact with these people again. And I don't wait for the next hurt. Instead, I feel really free in my interactions.
So try it out for yourself and don't put pressure on yourself. Because God sees your heart. Reach out to the mystery of prayer for those who would like to see you down.
Luke 6:28
“Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who abuse you”
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