He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity (Jonah 4:2).
We do not wish good for nations, leaders, terrorists, and others who are not in sync with what we view as right. Like Jonah, we pray curses and judgment on them but neglect God’s command to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mat. 5:44). We feel they deserve God’s judgment and wrath. When we are wrong, we cry for God’s mercy and love, not judgment and wrath. God sees things differently, so He commands us to pray even for the wicked. We are not willing to pray for evil people who only do what sinners do by nature; instead, we are telling God how to judge them as if God needed our advice. Refusal to bless and pray for the wicked is to disregard God’s command. We are to love and do good to those who hate us. God knows how and when to take care of them. Job, David, Habakkuk, and Jonah complained about wicked people to God and suggested what God should do. God did not need their advice; He does not need ours also. He wants you to “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Lk 6:28). Start now!
