Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me out, my enemy?”
It is said that to live in sin is sin’s worst punishment. To remain content with those thoughts, words and actions which ruin human life and make it miserable is indeed terrible. The Lord could have simply left Ahab to revel in his greed, but instead He shows His Fatherly concern for this wayward son by sending the prophet Elijah to excoriate him. God does so not out of a spirit of hatred, but out of true desire for Ahab’s good. And the result? Ahab begins to repent, at least externally.
“…pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father,…”
If we really want to be the children of God that Christ wants to transform us into, then we must allow ourselves to be confronted with our lack of charity. We must be honest about that part of our heart which remains constricted from showing sincere concern for the good of a particular family member, co-worker or classmate. Therein lies a great poverty: our lack of love. God does not ask us to deny that this other person has an annoying personality or commits injustices against us or others. The Lord does not tell us that such a person is not an enemy. But the Lord reminds us that such a person is still our brother. No matter what he may do, even though he may be filled with avarice, or wrath, or lust, or laziness… such qualities are not the foundation of his being. Being a creation of God is the foundation of who the other person is. In our need for strength to love, pray for and forgive our enemies, let us turn to our heavenly Father and cry out for the grace we need to be His children.