Pray for Cuba??? Really???

“How many of us have conflicts with someone else and how many of us pray for that person? We have individuals with whom we are competitive, or whom we dislike or have a quarrel with; but very few of us have true enemies. And yet if Lincoln could pray fervently and contemporary reports indicate he did, for the people who were opposing him, how much more can we do for someone

we just find a little irritating?”  John Wooden  

Have you been praying for friends and family in Florida? Most of us have. The devastation and loss have been terrible. 

  Yet, before Hurricane Ian struck Florida, it hit the island of Cuba, our country’s enemy. Three people were killed. The entire island lost power. And Cuba was already suffering from an economic crisis with shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. There have been blackouts across the island all summer, which has led to rare protests against the government. The life-threatening conditions Hurricane Ian inflicted on Cuba prompted officials to evacuate more than 38,000 residents from their homes in one province.

  Yet, in spite of the suffering Ian brought to Cuba, I don’t recall a post or even hearing anyone say: “Pray for Cuba!” But if we’re going to be obedient to God’s Word, shouldn’t we? As I read my Bible a constant theme that’s repeated over and over again is that Christians are to love and pray for their enemies. Cuba under Communist oppression is an “enemy” of the U.S. Christians and churches there suffer persecution. It truly fits the “enemy” category.

  This is what makes Christ-followers distinctly different. We love, pray for and show kindness to our enemies, even if they hurt us in return. Please understand, we can’t do this in our own strength. It must be Jesus living and loving through us. Our Savior who said from the Cross, “Father, forgive them” wants us to have that same love for our enemies. It’s through His power flowing through us that we have the strength to live as Jesus.

  All of us have enemies. If you live for Jesus, not everyone is going to like you. In our humanness, we irritate and anger others. Yet, our response must be like our Lord, even if it means praying for places like Cuba or people who despise us.

  How does the Bible tell us to respond to our enemies? Dr. Ray Pritchard, longtime pastor at Calvary Church in Oak Park, IL has several suggestions.  

  Greet your enemies. This may be the most difficult one because it’s very personal and risks ridicule or being snubbed. Yet, one part of loving our enemies is to greet them graciously when we see them. Sometimes, in order to not antagonize them, this may be unwise, yet as much as we can when we have an opportunity, we need to seek to be Jesus to them. That often begins with greeting them. If we only greet our friends, so what? Even pagans greet each other. One part of loving your enemies is to greet them instead of avoiding them or worse snubbing them.

  Do Good to Them. Both times in Luke 6 when Jesus tells us to “love our enemies,” He follows it immediately by saying, “do good to them,” so that we won’t miss His point. Doing good to your enemies means seeing beyond your pain and their meanness to their humanity. It means seeing them as individuals made in the image of God and understanding that there is something broken inside that causes them to do what they do.

  Think of someone who hates you. Now imagine doing something nice for them. It’s unnatural, yet must be done. It might mean shoveling their walks or taking over a dozen cookies. It’s not enough to refrain from getting even. Jesus says that we must proactively do good to the wrongdoer!
  It was said of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, that the quickest way you could become his friend was to do him wrong. The minute you did him wrong, he’d work so hard to love you back that eventually he’d win you as a friend. What a great testimony to the Christ-like spirit of that godly man.

  N.T. Wright puts it this way: “Think of the best thing you can do for the worst person, and then go ahead and do it…Think of the people to whom you are tempted to be nasty, and lavish generosity on them instead.”

  Refuse to speak evil of them. That’s what Jesus meant when he said, “Bless those who curse you.” It means you refuse to think evil thoughts and refuse to speak or post evil words against those who’ve wronged you. Every time we open our mouths, life or death comes out. Forgiveness in many cases isn’t possible because we won’t stop talking. As long as we talk over and over again about how others hurt us, we’ll be unable to forgive. At some point, we must stop talking and start forgiving.

  Thank God for them. If you believe in the sovereignty of God, that God is in control, you must believe that your enemy is part of God’s plan with His design and with His approval. Your enemy can’t hurt you apart from God’s permission, so behind your enemy stands the hand of God. Your Heavenly Father would never permit it if He didn’t intend to bring something good out of it. If we want to grow in faith, we must continually thank God for the blessing of our enemies.

  Pray for them. When Martin Niemoller, a German pastor, was arrested by the Nazis in World War II, he prayed daily from his prison cell for his captors. Other prisoners asked why he prayed for those who were his enemies. To which Niemoller replied, “Do you know anyone who needs your prayers more than your enemies?”

  It’s impossible to truly pray for someone and hate them. As we pray, we begin to recognize that our enemies need the same thing we all desperately need: God’s grace and forgiveness for sins. It means that we pray sincerely for their well-being, which may include their conversion to Christ.

  Bless those who curse you. Picture someone in your face. They’re out of control. This means when someone is just mean to you, or cusses you out, gives you an obscene gesture, calls you names, or verbally attacks you, you respond with kind words. You respond graciously. I love Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath.” In a culture where anger is the first weapon of choice, responding in a Christlike manner shocks people so much they’re often willing to rationally discuss what’s going on.

  Though it can be hard to see, your enemy is a gift from God to you. That’s not excusing evil or condoning mistreatment. It’s then that we echo what Joseph meant when he told his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Our enemies humble us, keep us on our knees, reveal our weaknesses, and expose our total need for God.

  It’s time to pray for Cuba and any and all who hate us and hurt us. That’s what it means to live for Jesus!

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