Loving people is hard enough, but loving our enemies is darn near impossible. One of my challenges in praying for enemies is that my mind jumps the tracks to dredge up old hurts and resentments. Tell me if this does not happen to you! When Jesus commands his followers, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt. 5.44), I’m quite certain he understands the difficulty inherent in this teaching. Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “As in all warfare, the two essential elements in victory are knowing your enemy and knowing your resources.” God gives us resources beyond ourselves to love people we don’t like. The Greek word Jesus utilizes for love related to our enemies, agape, reminds his followers that God is able to love through us.
Today’s prayer is part of a sixth century collection of prayers called the Mozarabic Rite. It is also called the Hispanic Rite since it originated in Spain and Portugal. A Mozarab refers to Christians living in Muslim-occupied territory.
Non-retaliatory love became a hallmark of the early church. In the third century, Tertullian conveyed what the Romans said about Christians, “Look, how they love one another…and are ready to die for each other.” Today, on Valentine’s Day, no less, we pray to love the way God loves: