PRAY NOT PREY

Pray Not Prey

Jennifer Woodley

‘But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.’ Matthew 5:44 (NIV).

There will always be those in this world who seek out the weak, the frail, the vulnerable and the lonely and prey upon them. 

We may have been at the receiving end of telephone scams, computer hackers or shifty salespeople who want to deceive and mislead us. 

They have one intention: to influence us for their own selfish gain.

What are we to do about people like that? 

Jesus says that we ought to speak blessing, not cursing over those who persecute us. 

We are to pray for those who prey upon us. 

And that’s not such an easy thing to do. 

Our initial reaction, when faced with someone trying to deceive us, is to rise up in anger. 

We have been offended, we have been conned and treated like trash. Why should we respond with love and kindness?

Yet we are to bear our afflictions bravely. 

We are to pray for our enemies with genuine love and concern for them. 

We are to forgive, and in this way we allow God to be the judge of their actions and are free from being subject to judgment ourselves. 

They may have broken God’s law, but our loving, prayerful response means that we have not. 

This is the example Christ gave to us. 

Only with God’s help, will we be able to pray and genuinely love those who prey upon us.

‘Father, help me to forgive and pray for those who deceive me. 

I want to love my enemies just as Jesus did. Amen.

Jennifer is a freelance writer who enjoys encouraging others on their Christian journey through writing and mentoring. Contact