Praying For Our Enemies

This week was a terrible week in Ottawa. There are a plethora of posts about it on Facebook by now. I won't go into the details, you've likely seen them already. If not, there are better educated people talking about it on-line.

However, I will say that I've been thinking a lot about Michael Zehaf Bibeau. The shooter. 

More specifically - His family.

When tragedy like this hits, our first response is to pray for the victim and their family. Which is good! Don't get me wrong. Not praying for them would be awful.

But what about the culprit? More specifically, what about his family?

If I was Michael's father, I would be a mess today. I probably wouldn't even be out of bed. You're full of grief at the lose of your son... and the horrible things he did minutes before his death. Man, I'm getting down just thinking about it.

Assisting the "enemy" is something that human nature tells us to not to do.

Then I read Matthew 5:43-45

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Yesh.

That's why I'm trying to see our enemies differently. Michael Zehaf Bibeau did a terrible thing. However, his family shouldn't suffer for it. 

Had he survived, I think I'd still be writing this. Though I would change it slightly. Pray for the family but also the culprit. How to pray, is beyond me. I guess that's why we have the Holy Spirit. When stuff like this happens and we don't have the words.

OK! That's was heavy. Happy post next week, promise!