Prayers of the BibleSample

When praying for peace in persecution, will you pray for those persecuting you?

Today’s reading is about a prayer from the book of Acts.

This is an astonishing example of grace in action! Stephen has just given an epic speech [I encourage you to read the whole thing] which resulted in so much anger from those around him, that he was stoned to death. And yet, as he’s dying, he prays for them that God would specifically not hold this sin against them.

I don’t know about you, but I would struggle to love others in a moment like this. It speaks to a deep conviction and the importance of the gospel. ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’ - just sit in that prayer for a moment. This final petition of Stephen’s life is not for himself, or his family, or his ministry partners. His final petition is on behalf of the very ones who are taking his life.

When was the last time that you prayed a strong prayer on behalf of someone who is actively working against you? It probably isn’t a case of you being stoned, but it may be competition at work, or a family member who is excluding you, or how the rumor mill has been particularly noisy lately. God knows and sees and hears your prayers. He hears you asking for peace to come.

Today, ponder this: There is an opportunity here to mirror Stephen's prayers - to pray for the ones in opposition to you. How can you actively pray for those who are against you?