Contemplative Bible Reading

Luke 7:28 (New Living Translation)

Pray for those who hurt you.

Jesus is teaching large crowds of people. He tells them many simple yet powerful things—like the short sentence above. And I pause while I consider this. Pretty good advice. How often have I followed it? Not often.

There is much to consider here. Praying—taking my hurts to God—is good for me. It is also good for those who have hurt me. It shows some degree of forgiveness on my part, and that is good for me.

And then there is the, “Whew, finally got it off my chest,” factor. Here God. You take this burden. It was eating a big hole in me. And thank you for taking it.

Pray for those who hurt us. Give the hurt to God. God has always taken the hurt for us. And for that, among many other blessings, we give thanks.