#33- Pray to God and Intercede for Your Enemies Who Despise The Word

“Moreover, let each one see to it that he does not forget to love his enemies, pray for those who persecute him and revile him, and not seek revenge, as Christ teaches in Matt. 6. For these miserable people have already been so terribly punished, and we, I am sorry to say, avenged at such a terrible price, that the time has come for us to plead with God for them, that we may avert the punishment and judgment that is coming upon them—as Christ did for us when in our blindness we too were committing sin. You see how terribly hardened they are in their blindness. They will not listen to us, nor give us a hearing. Neither will they answer, or let us hear from them. Instead they are like the Jews with St. Stephen [Acts 7:57]: they close their eyes and stop their ears, and shamelessly execute their sentence without knowing what they are doing. If you are a Christian you should observe carefully what wrath that brings upon them, what torment and punishment, and therefore how you should intercede for them with God. They act just like the possessed and madmen who say: We shall deal with God so harmfully and insolently that he will have to beat us over the head at once. Be assured, they will not continue their madness very long. Just wait a while, and let it suffice that your God makes you this promise: He who touches you touches the apple of my eye [Zech. 2:8]. Help therefore to pray for them. And even if we are not able to save them, let us pray that God may not because of their tyranny and blasphemy take his Word away from the whole German nation, and deprive all the other poor people who really long for it. May God’s grace and strength be with you all. Amen” (Luther’s Works, v.36 p.266-267).