Nougat 23

A question that today’s Holy Nougat invites us to reflect on is, how is our prayer life? And this one is a you and your God response as I too, have to work the answer out as though it was an integral part of our salvation.

““But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You see, to answer the question, we must factor in the prayers not only for the poor and outcasts but also those who have hurt us. I can hear it now, some of us (shamefacedly) admitting that we do pray for those who hurt us. But it’s along the lines of ‘bun bad prayers’, not a genuine prayer for their well-being.

And that’s the rub of this Faith we adhere to – it asks for the unthinkable. For who thinks it’s naturally good to be nice to Haters, to love them *and* go out of our way to do good deeds for them? Nope. I don’t think it’s natural. In our pain-filled moments, I suspect revenge or even hurting someone else is on our minds, not doing good for/to them. There are some persons who are naturally like that, but I don’t know that it’s a default action in our current broken human-ness.

But by God’s Spirit we can.

I suspect that that is what God’s Spirit really wants to help us with, perhaps as much as the gifts that enhance the ministry. And the Gifts are important – we find them featuring in two of Paul’s letters (see 1 Corinthians 12 and also Romans 12). We also note that the ‘anointing’ carries various types of giftings in the Hebrew Scriptures. Immediately following his explanation of the gifts of God’s Spirit, Paul raised the issue of Love. The more excellent way.

And that’s where doing good and prayer become the foundation for our actions. It is partly proof of that inner transformation and renewal we are called to in Romans 12:1-2. (Remember we discussed it some time back, walking dead etc?). Moreover, a Godincidental conversation yesterday assured me that when we harbor issues within we become susceptible to diseases and bitterness.

So back to our prayer life – when we pray for those who hurt us (and spitefully use us), we are not getting even. This is not a Psalm 119 moment! Under the Law, as the people sought to grasp what it means to be ‘God’s Chosen’, vengeance and bitterness towards was tolerated. Under Grace, we are called to a very different spiritual mindset. And if sin is purged from our mortal bodies, our prayers ought to lean towards healing and grace – even as we have received God’s grace and forgiveness.

Now here is the hope – some of us are not yet there. But we can start by asking God to remove our hurt. We can ask God’s blessings upon them and as our hearts are transformed by our sacrificial offering of our whole selves, we will find praying and doing good a bit more feasible.

Doable? In our strength, not likely. With God’s Spirit, yup – doable.

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May all we seek be found in Christ