His Comments

Today’s passages fall under the heading “love your enemies.” These passages from Luke, along with many others, have been on my mind this past month. At the time of writing this, it has been one month since the horrific murder of Iryna Zarutska and 11 days since Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Many prayers have been prayed for Iryna and Charlie’s families and friends. When tragic events like this happen, these passages in Luke serve to remind me how important it is to pray for those affected by such evil. They are also important for telling us to pray for those who are doing that evil! Oftentimes, that last part is easier said than done.

I had the privilege of speaking to a group about The Lord’s Prayer a while back. The Lord’s Prayer as told in Luke is Jesus’ answer to the apostles asking Him how to pray. If I am honest, Luke 11:4 scares me. The part that reads “forgive us our sins, as we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us” often stops me in my tracks. We have all had people in our lives that show hate, that are abusive, that antagonize, and that are not “nice.” When I read Luke 11:4, I am reminded of those people in my life, but I’m also reminded of the man who stabbed an innocent woman on the train and the man who assassinated an apologist I enjoy watching, and I think “I hold hate in my heart for them.” If I pray as the Lord tells His apostles, I am asking the Lord to forgive ME like I forgive THEM. Am I forgiving them?

My fear does not last long, because as I think about Luke 11:4, I also think about Philippians 4:6-7. These two passages in Philippians are often the light which points me back to Christ during my moments of darkness. Those two passages read:

When we worry, when we fear, it is a subtle form of distrust in God. Not a shaking of one’s faith, or a doubt in God’s goodness level of distrust, but a subtle way of saying “This worry I have is beyond what God will fix.” When I have hatred in my heart, I often look inward and think I have the answer of how to “fix” it. This leads me to realize I do not know how to forgive. I go on to worry, “If I do not know how to forgive, does that mean God will not forgive me?” Philippians 4 is the scriptural reminder for all of us that we are NOT required to understand how God will fix things, it is only on us to TRUST.

God knows our hearts, and He is faithful and just to forgive us when we confess our sins. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians that we are to make our requests known to God, and His peace will guard our hearts. This peace surpasses our understanding. It is not on us to worry or understand how God will fix the situation, but it is on us to give IT over to God. That “IT,” in the situation above, is the hate I hold in my heart. We are called NOT to hate, and when we do not know how to let go of that hate, make that known to God. Humble yourself and admit to God, “I am broken, but I trust in you. Please fix me.” When we humble ourselves before God and submit to His will, He gives us peace we are unable to achieve otherwise.

So, to wrap up, I struggle with showing love and praying for those who commit evil acts like those that happened this past month. When I see people cheer those evil acts, the struggle becomes even more difficult. I’m then reminded that Jesus, while being persecuted, beaten, and hung, loved those who were persecuting Him. He went through that so we may have life, and He will guard us and bring us peace if we give those burdens over to Him.