When People Hurt You, Pray

1/5/2025

“Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray....”(James 5:13 AMPC)

What do you do when people, particularly, the ones closest to you, mistreat you? The Lord would not have you hold a grudge or retaliate. Rather, He says, pray. And He is not referring to a prayer for their downfall or reprimand. How do we know this? Jesus says, “...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” (Matthew 5:44). It is impossible to love people and pray for their downfall. 

When people hurt you, mercy should be the first thing to pray to God for them. Why? When a person hurts you, they hurt Jesus. And often, the consequence of hurting Jesus brings about judgement in the form of  sickness and a shortened life. When a person hurts you, they fail to discern that you and the Lord are one. The Bible says, “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” (1 Corinthians 11:30)

In Luke 23:24, Jesus prayed to the Father for those who crucified Him saying, “...Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do…” He pleaded for mercy because the Father is a just rewarder. In the said light, Stephen while being martyred under the supervision of Saul, prayed to the Father these words, “...Lord, do not charge them with this sin…”(Acts 7:60) after which, he gave up the ghost. 

In truth, if you are born again, it is actually counter to your nature to hold a grudge. Romans 5:5 says,”... the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” This means that if you simply give ascendency to your heart, in any grievance, the love of God would submerge it. The way to give ascendency to your heart in any grievance is to speak in tongues about the situation to the Lord as you acknowledge  the love of God in your heart according Philemon 1:6 which says “...that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” And so, the second way to pray is to pray in tongues, acknowledging, every so often, that the love of God is lavish in your heart toward the person or people in question.

Lastly, maybe this person said or did something that caused an injury to your psyche. Maybe their words or actions made you feel shame or anger. Shame and anger come from cares and cares are a form of pride. Cares are what produce negative emotions in any person. It is time to cast it on the Lord and let it go. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Set down the feelings of anger, shame and worthlessness before the Lord in prayer. Declare that God lives in you and that all the baggage from the event now rests with the Lord. 

 If someone hurt you, it is time to let them go free. And this is how you do it. You can’t pray like this for someone who has hurt you and still be burdened by the hurt. Let the Lord lead you today. If you are led to call, call. If you are led to reach out by text or email, do so. And if in your case, the Lord has asked you to hold your peace, let Him work it out.

Have a great day!

Faith-Filled Confession

I live the God-life of love. No grudge or grievance has the ability to cage me from moving in the course of God’s Spirit for me. I hear to do today, knowing that God’s plan for me is to live hurt-free. In Jesus’ name. Amen