Pray for the Persecutors

Would you like to share a prayer with me for the great Christian persecutor, Kim Jung Un?

'But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. - Luke 6:27-28

Yesterday, I read in the Christian Post that a British human rights organization, the Christian Solidarity Worldwide, reported that North Korea's persecution of Christians has gotten out of hand.

Total Denial: Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in North Korea is a CSW report that says freedom of religion is "largely non-existent" in the country.  It cites atrocities that would make your skin crawl.

"Documented incidents against Christians include being hung on a cross over a fire, crushed under a steamroller, herded off bridges, and trampled underfoot." 

All of this is sanctioned, if not ordered by Kim Jung Un.  Is this the kind of person you could pray for?

Why would I do it?  What good would it do?

When I pray, I am usually asking God to intercede, to do something for me, or to comfort someone who is suffering.  Occasionally, I remember to pray in thanksgiving, giving time to thanking God for his great mercy and blessings.

So, if I am going to pray, it would probably be for the victims of Kim Jung Un, not for him.  And maybe that is where I miss an opportunity to make a difference.

If the leader of North Korea could find God, would he change like Saul did and become an apostle of Christ?

I can pray for that, can't I?  As far-fetched as it sounds, it is exactly the type of involvement in our lives that God does best.  So, why not pray for this man to be saved?

If I truly believe that Jesus came to save sinners, why wouldn't I believe he would jump at the chance to turn this persecutor around?

Am I so self-centered that I see my sinfulness as sufficient for him?

While he taught us not to compare our sins against the sins of others, showing us we have just as much to repent as someone we feel is much worse, kneeling down beside a demon to pray together for salvation is difficult to imagine.

Yet is is what Jesus tells us we should do.  Great and small, we are all God's children, all needing His love and all undeserving of His abundant grace.

So, I pray for the persecutors and killers.  I pray that they come to know God through His loving grace, through His son.

And I believe my prayers will be heard.

So, will you join me?  Let us pray for the victims and the persecutors, that both may be saved and brought to God's Kingdom.

Nothing else seems to work.  It is worth a shot.

More to come...