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| CUPS OF
COFFEE Pray For Your Enemies In the last issue I shared with you the wonderful lesson of obedience that I learned when the Lord wooed me to forgive my "enemies" of a violent act of aggression. God unfolded the lesson in such a fashion that I was shown the cycle of good fruit reproducing good fruit. A son turns to the Lord. A father watches his son, and in time also turns to the Lord. I am still awed. Some years later I found myself dealing with another "enemy". My teenage twins had taken up with a wild sort of maverick named Rob. Steve, Mike and I had always been close. We played together, we worked together, we worshipped together. Their new friend, Rob, was a reckless thinker, a rebel, and a suspected drug dealer. My dad in his occasional visits had nicknamed him, "The Worm". Initially I tried to discourage the relationship. Later I foolishly tried to impose my fatherly authority. The relationship between Rob and my oldest twin grew close and I began to lose my boys. Desperation was preeminent in my courses of action, and the wondrous relationship I had enjoyed with my sons began to disintegrate. I was at war with "The Worm". Late that fall our church had lined up a Bible scholar, a pastor from downtown LA, to come and minister to us in a series of evangelistic meetings. He was preaching from the "Sermon on the Mount". Toward the end of the week he got around to Mathew 5:43-45: "You have heard that it was said 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy', but I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that they may be sons of your Father in Heaven." He spoke to us at length about the meaning of these words. He shared some witnessing adventures he had as a young college student wherein he was beaten pretty severely. Even though he was rejected, attacked and beaten, he returned to witness and won several of that crowd to the Lord. He then asked us to think about our relationships, to consider what person we might view as an enemy. I was sitting in the choir loft. It only took a moment to see Rob "The Worm" looming before my mind. The speaker continued, "I want you to close your eyes and bring a picture of that person, your enemy to your mind." "No problem", I thought, "He's right there in the forefront. What can I do about him? What can I do to save my boys from his influence?" "I want you to visualize this person in your minds eye", he continued, " I want you to do as the Lord commands and pray for the soul of this person. Pray that God will give you love for this person. Pray for this person's relationship with God." I was overwhelmed with the thought of the task. How could I find the compassion to pray for this person whom I found so despicable? Where would I begin to find the words? In my confused state of mind I heard the speaker say, "…and I want us to take time to do this - now!" I was sitting next to an older gentleman in the choir whom I considered next to sainthood. I looked at Sam and caught his eye. He smiled, shrugged his shoulders and bowed his head. There was nothing to do but bow my head and try to comply. Of course, words wouldn't come to mind, I had to pray to God about me. I had to ask for compassion. I had to ask the Holy Spirit to take my bumbling utterances and make them acceptable before God's throne. And then it started, compassion for Rob began to ooze into my heart. My utterances began to express real concern for his soul. Something akin to love began to flood my being. An uncontrollable flow of tears began to stain my cheeks. I began to realize that my prayers were now real and earnest, rather than just assigned utterances. My quest for Rob's salvation was real and intense. It was maybe 10:30 that night. I was at the breakfast room table recording the wonder of the evening in my journal when I heard a knock at the door. The family was either in the front of the house watching TV or in bed. I got up and crossed the room to the door. There stood Rob, my enemy. His face was aglow with indescribable joy, "Mr. Shrout, can I come in?" Of course, I invited him in. Rob was about six-two with lots of flowing, blond curly hair. The only light in the room was from a small lamp over my table and the flickering light from the fire in a raised hearth fireplace. Maybe it was the dim light and the flickering shadows, but his presence seemed to dominate the whole room. He was animated with excitement and his feet were fairly dancing. "Mr. Shrout, I gave my heart to the Lord tonight. It's so wonderful. I'm so happy I can't keep my feet on the ground. I just had to stop and tell you." I can't begin to describe for you my feelings at that moment. Tears of joy instantly began to flow as I rushed to embrace my former enemy. "Rob, I'm so happy for you." "I know you've been praying for me, Mr. Shrout. I just had to stop by and tell you all about this wonderful thing that has happened to me." I asked him to sit awhile. He told me that earlier this evening he had attended a meeting at the half-way house a few blocks away. After the meeting he had hung around, feeling a strange tugging at his heart. Finally he decided to talk to Rick, who ran the house, about how he was feeling. Rick took time to listen and lead Rob to the Throne of God. "On my knees", Rob told me, "I pleaded for forgiveness and salvation, and Mr. Shrout, He did it. He forgave me! He saved me!" We talked, we prayed, we embraced, we laughed, we cried, then said our goodbyes. Rob was already in trouble with the law for selling marijuana. He was eventually sentenced to serve time in the Missouri State Penitentiary. From time to time Rob would write from his place of incarceration. His letters would ring with the joy of salvation and the opportunities that he was finding to witness the grace and saving power of Jesus Christ. Regrettably, I lost track of Rob. The urgencies of our chaotic lives often leave us with too little time. We miss out on things and experiences that would have been really worthwhile. Well here I am, decades later. Rob has to be pushing fifty. Jim and Sammy, who assaulted me in my high school days, are old men now. And their dad, who planned their "get even" endeavor, has surely gone on to be with God, the Father. Have I learned anything by all these experiences - dealing with my "enemies"? Yes, of course, but not really enough. Too often, I still lapse into the mode of dealing with my foes from my own understanding and my own strength - reacting, rather than remembering to draw from the dynamics of the lessons God has taught me. There always seems to be some sort of "enemy" out there, pecking away at your peace of mind. At times it's more than a nuisance, it is a situation that needs resolution. You have to decide whether to collide with the problem, or wait it out in prayer. Which shall it be? More often than not, I should be praying. I wonder as I linger here, In midst of all my woe, The meaning of the Savior's words, He spoke so long ago. To speak my mind or bow my head, A dilemma for me now? Oh please, Oh God, give me the strength, Your guidance of just how. Well dear friends, how is it with you? Surely in these days you are growing weary of discourses on "enemies". If you are new to 'Cups of Coffee', you can pick up the story in prior issues. But for now, how about taking up the subject of "friends"? If we are to love our enemies, how much more are we to love our friends? Let me hear from you. GS 11/17/01 If you would like to drop a note to offer feedback or ask questions, you can contact him at Gene Shrout |
