Difficult to Pray

[0:00] A Pastor's Reflections, Difficult to Pray. Exodus chapter 8 verses 8, 12, and 13. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, Pray the Lord. And Moses cried unto the Lord, and the Lord did according to the word of Moses. Matthew 5, 44. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. 1 Peter 3, 12. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. When you and I think of praying, we most likely have certain things that come to mind as those things that need the most prayer.

[0:50] We recognize that God is at work in our lives, and we also realize that without his working, there is no aspect of this Christian life that we can correctly understand or progress in.

[1:05] To that end, we then seek him in his word and in prayer. Prayer is also the wonderful means by which we encourage the body, pray for the sick, and entreat for the lost to be saved.

[1:18] We trust and know that God hears our prayers. Proverbs 15, 29. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Prayer, for the people of God, is the wonderful means by which we are privileged to draw near to God. But do we also realize that prayer is the tool by which we are instructed to direct God's blessings and mercy towards our enemies? Have we grasped the truth that prayer is not just to be directed at the holy, but also the sinner?

[1:57] 1 John 5, 16. If any man see his brother sin a sin, which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. Why would we want to use something so special as prayer for sinners?

[2:15] 1 John 5, 16. For enemies, Matthew 5, 44. And for the wicked, Exodus 8, 8-13. Wouldn't it make more sense to spend our prayer time on something that is more important to God?

[2:29] Matthew 5, 44 and 45. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them, which despitefully use you and persecute you. That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. For he makes his son to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. We are never more like God, and never more reflecting his heart, than when we are using our resources to show his love to the most undeserving.

[3:07] 1 Timothy 1, 15. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

[3:18] Romans 5, 8. But God commends his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. In Exodus 8, it may have been tempting for Moses to refuse to pray for Pharaoh, and to not ask God to remove the plague.

[3:36] After all, why would Moses ever want to intercede for Pharaoh? Because Moses understood that God displays his mercy through intercession.

[3:46] Hebrews 7, 25. Wherefore, he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.

[4:00] Praying for our enemies, our persecutors, and those who use us despitefully, is one of the most difficult things we will ever do. But it is also necessary.

[4:10] Necessary for them to experience God's mercy, and necessary for us to be children of our Father. Father, thank you that through prayer you give us the amazing opportunity to take part in not only receiving your mercy, but also displaying it as well.

[4:30] As your children, help us to reflect the heart of our Heavenly Father, that is always reaching out in mercy to the lost, no matter how difficult. Amen.