Praying When Wounded
What do I do when someone does me wrong? How do I respond when I have been hurt, mistreated, or cheated?
To His followers, the Lord gives direction and sets standards that are contrary to the world’s typical reaction and contrary to our natural inclinations. In Matthew 5, Jesus lays out some definite yet difficult instructions for those who love God: Turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41), love your enemies (Matthew 5:44) and pray for those who are out to hurt you (Matthew 5:44).
Each of these can prove difficult and are only possible through submitting to the strength of the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer in Christ. In other words, we can’t do this on our own.
But, looking at one of the elements in more depth, how can we pray for our enemies? How do I genuinely lift someone up to the Lord who has hurt me, or cheated me, or lashed out against me? Let’s take a few moments to look at one instance where King David prayed for his enemies.
Join me as we slip quietly into David’s prayer room as he lays out his heart before God in Psalms 5. Starting in Psalms 5:8, we see an unexpected part of David’s prayer as he prays about those who are out to harm him. Notice, though, David actually prays for himself.
He prays:
“Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me” (NIV). While praying for his enemies, David prays for himself. One of the most important aspects of praying for those who have hurt us is to be sure we pray for ourselves.
“Lord, help me to handle this correctly. Father, grow me through this difficult time. Jesus, bring glory to Your name in the midst of this hurt I am going through. God, help me to be faithful and honoring to You, and loving and Christ-like to this person who has hurt me.” God wants to grow us and use us in the midst of our being mistreated.
Then, in Psalms 5:9, David lays out his thoughts before the Lord about those who are lashing out at him. It is right to share our heart with the Lord about the difficult situation.
Finally, in Psalms 5:10, David gives room for God to work: “Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.” David realizes that it must be God that judges.
We must not take upon ourselves the responsibility of judging or even “fixing” the one who has offended us. Only God can do that.
So, when praying for those who have wounded us, it is wise to pray first for ourselves, lay out our heart before the Lord, and leave room for God to work and move rather than trying to fix everything and everyone ourselves.
Have you been hurt? Pray.