Pray Like This When Someone Hurts You
When someone hurts you, spend your emotional, mental, and spiritual energy fighting the real enemy – Satan. Let’s commit to not giving him the upper hand.
What’s your natural response when someone hurts you? Mine is to stew about what’s happened or been said, and then I have internal conversations that sound something like, “I can’t believe she said those things about me,” or “How could she do such a thing? What’s wrong with her thinking?”
Our natural response is to take offense—sometimes a little, sometimes a lot—and hang onto it. After we’ve had a chance to process what’s happened, we might ask God to forgive the offender. Or maybe we’ll ask Him to get even.
Do as Jesus did
Jesus was innocent of all wrongdoing yet He suffered ridicule and an excruciating death. As He hung on the cross, a crowd gathered to watch and soldiers gambled for His clothing.
A lesser man might have spent His dying breath uttering curses over them, but Jesus prayed,
“Father, forgive these people for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
Jesus recognized that the crowd who cheered for His crucifixion and the soldiers who hammered spikes through His hands and feet were not His real enemies. The unseen forces of evil led by Satan himself were the ones bent on His destruction. Knowing this, Jesus was able to pray for those who mocked and crucified Him.
The real enemy
Consider this truth when someone hurts you deeply:
“For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
When someone hurts you, remember that he or she is not your real enemy. Their behavior is rooted in unresolved issues and sadly, you’re taking the brunt. Hurting people hurt people.
When someone hurts you, spend your emotional, mental, and spiritual energy fighting the real enemy—Satan. He wants to keep the offender stuck in whatever issue they’re struggling with, and he wants to sink you in anger and unforgiveness. Let’s commit to not giving him the upper hand. One of the most important battle strategies, then, is to pray.
Pray this when someone hurts you…
May I Pray For You?
“Holy Father, thank You for Christ’s example when He did the hard thing and prayed for the forgiveness of those who killed Him. Please give me the strength and integrity to respond to my offender in the same way. Lord, do not hold this offense against her, but draw her to repentance. Grant her an accurate understanding of who You are and of Your free gift of grace and forgiveness. Give her a heart that seeks after You. Lead her to a place of freedom from strongholds in her life. Restore her soul and lead her in paths of righteousness. I ask this on the basis of who You are—the God of truth and justice, the God who promises to be my Defender. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Know you are loved,
Grace
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There you’ll find exclusive content alongside hope, courage, and transformation through God’s word. All with a dash of adventure!
