This prophetic word is titled Look Down the Road.
Who is this word for? Everyone. It’s a prayer strategy that you can use when there is conflict and division.
Matthew 5:43-46a NLT
43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies!Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?
Proverbs 24:16-18 NLT
The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.
But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.
18 For the Lord will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.
James 5:16 NLT
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
Luke 18:1 NKJV
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart
Exodus 23:4-5 NLT
4 “If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. 5 If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.
Romans 12:14, 17-20 NLT
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
1 Corinthians 4:12-13a NLT
12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly.
1 Peter 3:9 NLT
9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.
Proverbs 16:7
When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 20:22
Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.”
Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.
Ephesians 4:32
32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Genesis 50:15-21
15 But now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said.
16 So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us 17 to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. 18 Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.
19 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21 No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.
Many times when we are in a situation where we are praying for or through conflict, it is our human nature to pick sides and only pray for the side that we want to win or the side we think is right. That’s because we generally pray about today and less about the future, 2, 5, 10 years down the line. The truth is, we always need to pray for both sides. Even if the side you chose wins, you have to think about the emotional and mental state of the other side. You need to look down the road.
Sometimes the side you’ve been praying for doesn’t win and then you have to live with what you didn’t want. If your approach to prayer is to pray for both sides, then you can walk away with a clear conscience knowing that you prayed. A prayer of love and blessings, peace and reconciliation with God.
Always pray for the other side because you never know when one day you will come face to face with the results of the very thing that YOU prayed or the words you spoke over that situation.
How you pray says who you belong to…
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.
Blessings
This is a confirmation of what my mother and I were just talking about. How we should continue to pray for both sides of the conflict in Israel. For peace, protection and deliverance for all the innocent people. That God comforts those that lost love ones. And that there is no hate crimes. We are to love as Christ love.