A Prayer for Those Who Have Wronged Us - Your Daily Prayer - April 20
A Prayer for Those Who Have Wronged Us
By: Emily Rose Massey
Bible Reading:
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” - 1 Peter 4:8, ESV
Listen or Read Below:
My husband and I run an online ministry that helps people on their Christian journey out of the prosperity gospel movement- a movement that proclaims that the blood of Jesus has purchased for all believers a promised life of health, wealth, and abundance in earthly pleasures. This is a dangerously false message that undermines the beauty of the finished work of Christ, which brings justification and forgiveness. The teachings in this movement can truly shipwreck someone’s faith- we ourselves were ensnared by this false teaching, so it is something he and I are very passionate to defend against and proclaim truth whenever possible.
On this ministry journey, we have met others who share our passion for helping protect others from wolves in sheep’s clothing. Taking strong stances against popular teachers in the public eye means some will not be thrilled with your ministry. Having others to link arms with to stand against false teaching online makes pushback easier to handle and emboldens you to continue warning of error and proclaiming truth. You can imagine how one might feel when one of those people who stood strong with you, warning of these false teachers, suddenly turns back and begins embracing those wolves as brothers in Christ. I can tell you from personal experience, it is gut-wrenching to witness and experience. The temptation that I have faced in this experience- especially after they would not heed warning or correction- is to want to back this person into a corner and expose them and their seemingly manipulative tactics as well.
Any situation that stirs up strong emotional responses- especially that of hurt, offense, and disappointment- needs the direction and wisdom of scripture to bring clarity to those intense and very valid emotions. We must not allow our flesh to rule in the situation. When we are led by the Spirit, we are putting to death the ways of the flesh, because the sins and desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit.
This is not a passive or mysterious “leading” or “subjective feeling” but rather an active, ever-present fight in the life of the believer to learn what it means to walk in love, be gracious and merciful, and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Thankfully, we, as disciples of Christ, are not left to human subjectivity and confusion in this leading; we have God’s word as a lamp to our feet in a world of darkness and sin (Psalm 119:105).
As far as putting to death the desire to slander, malign, or be harsh to those who have seemingly wronged us, disappointed us, or intentionally (or unintentionally hurt us), the scripture that comes to mind that both brings conviction and direction can be found in 1 Peter 4:
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8, ESV).
When I am tempted to expose someone’s wrongdoing or sin towards me or others, the Bible urges me to love them by covering them with grace and mercy instead. For me, one way I applied this to my situation I discussed earlier was by deleting screenshots I had saved on my phone of the hurtful, error-filled things that had been said online. I was attempting to build a case against this person- to truly “put them in their place.” But ultimately, I needed to pray for this individual and watch my words about them to others. Instead of “stalking” their ministry page online, I chose to unfollow and mute their posts (even if for a season) because it was causing bitterness and a cynical attitude to rise in my heart about them. In those moments when I am hurt, upset, or offended, I must extend grace, which doesn’t mean that we don’t lovingly rebuke, correct, or warn when necessary, because that is also extending love towards others. But after that difficult confrontation has taken place, we must release that situation to the Lord, and He will be the One to vindicate if we truly have been wronged or sinned against. We must look to the Lord for help, especially when our flesh wants to rule.
Let’s Pray:
Father,
Please help me to rest in Your sovereignty and trust that You will work in the heart of the one who has deeply hurt me. I know You will use those difficult situations to work in my own heart as well, teaching me how to truly love others as You do.
Above all, help me remember that every person is made in the image of God and deserves love and respect, no matter their actions or words towards me. May the love and mercy that has been given to us from You flow to the most difficult of people in our lives.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Charday Penn
Related Resource: What If God’s Heart Toward You Is Kinder Than You Think?
In this episode of Talk About That, you will laugh along with stories about children’s books, volleyball mornings, St. Patrick’s Day, and even the questionable legacy of the Power Team, but underneath the humor is a thoughtful conversation about one of the deepest questions of faith: how God truly sees us. John and Jonnie reflect on weakness, mercy, and the struggle many believers feel in accepting that God is not only patient with them, but genuinely pleased to call them His own. It’s an honest, encouraging reminder that our relationship with God is not built on performance, perfection, or “having it all together,” but on His love, grace, and fatherly delight in His children. You'll come away challenged to see yourself less through the lens of self-criticism and more through the steady, compassionate eyes of a God who knows you fully, loves you deeply, and may just be rooting for you more than you realize. If you laughed out loud listening to this episode, be sure to follow Talk About That on Apple and Spotify!
