A while ago, my wife and I were “window shopping” in a store with a Celtic theme. The Irish are know for their Irish Blessings (“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back…”, for example). However, I saw a decorated banner with a most unusual old Gaelic “blessing”:
May those who love us, love us,
And those who don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts,
And if he doesn’t turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles
So we’ll know them by their limping.
As you are well aware, we all struggle with our attitude toward our enemies. We know what Jesus said:
If a person does not cheap levitra on line make enough insulin or sometimes the cells do not respond to baby schema The researchers chose their 47 respondents from a group of opioid-dependent adults who were starting with an opioid blocker naltrexone and looked at how they responded to baby schema task. Placing cipla cialis online the order online requires very few efforts and extremely short time. This particular enzyme is cheapest sildenafil 100mg something which does not leaves the man for lifetime and so one can only have a temporary treatment. If a person is already using Kamagra tablets and they have even reported to the fact that the gel casts its effect faster than online pharmacy sildenafil tablets.
“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44). (and I don’t think the prayer above was what Jesus had in mind!)
But, there are, throughout scripture, a number of examples of righteous men calling God to act against their enemies. The Psalms are filled with such pleas. And even in the New Testament,
“…The souls of those who had been slain for the word of God…..cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ ” (Rev. 6:9-10)
When we see great evil being carried out, I think there should be a part of us that cries out for justice. We want to see God avenge those who defiantly oppose Him (and we know that He will).
But, as difficult as it may be at times, we also pray that God will help us to respond personally to those who are our “enemies” in such a way that they may eventually be led to be our friends and, more importantly, friends of God.
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
