I use the word “enemies” because it sounds so dramatic, and I have a finely tuned appreciation of the dramatic. What I mean by “enemies” is anyone you don’t like, are angry at, or feel threatened, harmed, or wronged by.
So, why in the world would you want to pray for your enemies?
Wherever there is a feeling of enmity (dislike, anger, resentment, etc.), something is out of balance. These feelings hold that imbalance in place. When you pray for your enemy, you are telling Source (God/dess, All That Is) that you are willing to let go of your upset and allow balance to be restored. If the imbalance is in the other person, Source will bring them into balance. If the imbalance is with you (and sometimes, let’s face it, we’re just being pouty or cross), Source will bring you into balance. In other words, praying for someone you are divided from signals your willingness for healing and reconciliation.
A big part of my journey with prayer has been discovering that when I pray for other people, I receive almost immediate benefit myself in the form an enhanced feeling of well-being. I discovered, too, that praying for people I don’t like actually has a more powerful salubrious effect on me than praying for people I do like.
The sense that I make of such a seemingly peculiar situation is this: If I pray for my enemies, it means I really trust that the higher power to whom I am praying is fully benevolent and will take my prayers for these people’s well-being and use it in a way that will be for the highest good of all. For example, if I pray for people who are opponents of my political views (and, believe me, I have), I am trusting that Source won’t just make them victorious over me, but, rather, will find some way to ameliorate the schism between us and that that will be beneficial to everyone.
In short, hatred is healed by love. Try it out!
