By now, you have surely heard about the kidnapped missionaries in Haiti.

As I prepared this week’s prayer guide for the persecuted church, I found reports about them in both the secular and the Christian press. I don’t know why I didn’t click on all the articles I saw. I figured they would be critical of the missionaries.

But I was curious to see what the sending missions agency had to say about the situation. I don’t know the theology of this board, so I’m not endorsing them or aligning myself or College Church with them, but I do think the situation is worthy of our prayer support regardless, so I went searching.

I found a webpage on the Christian Aid Ministries website with the latest update.

They are asking prayer for the following:

“Pray for the hostages—for their release, that they could endure faithfully, and that they would display Christlike love. Jesus, when nailed to the cross, said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Pray for the kidnappers—that they would experience the love of Jesus and turn to Him. We see that as their ultimate need.

Pray for government leaders and authorities—as they relate to the case and work toward the release of the hostages. We appreciate the ongoing work and assistance of those knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with kidnapping cases."

These prayer requests demonstrate remarkable balance. They ask for prayer, not just for the hostage missionaries, but for the salvation of the kidnappers. And the third request, related to the human authorities in the situation seems refreshingly free of political slant, though one can never be sure about that kind of thing.

It’s surprising how much attention the story is getting in the press, and I couldn’t resist searching more and delved into secular news.

The New York Times wrote an article on a 24-hour prayer chain and quoted a mother of six who is praying at 2:45 a.m.: “We do believe God is in control,” she said. “When Daniel was put in the lions’ den, there was nothing logical about him coming out alive.”

And then I found this quote from a report on both NPR and Christianity Today:

“Weston Showalter, spokesman for the religious group, said that the families of those who'd been kidnapped are from Amish, Mennonite and other conservative Anabaptist communities in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Ontario, Canada. He read a letter from the families, who weren't identified by name, in which they said, ‘God has given our loved ones the unique opportunity to live out our Lord's command to love your enemies.’"

Of course, we should be praying for these people. This email is an invitation for us to pray about their perseverance in situation and for their release, but I think it is also a challenge for us to remember, even as we pray for the kidnappers, to pray for our enemies as well, whoever they might be and in whatever sphere of life the word “enemy” might take us.

If kidnapped folks can pray for the salvation of those who have kidnapped them, surely, we can do the same toward our enemies.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

As much as we might want to pray down fire and brimstone, Jesus calls us to do something counter-cultural; to love and pray for our enemies, not just for people we like or agree with, which is counter to our humanness. Maybe that was the point Jesus was making. Remember that when we were enemies of God, he went to the cross for us. So "enemies" doesn't have to be forever.

Is there anyone in your life who is, at some level, your enemy? Are you especially angered by a certain opponent of the faith? None of us are kidnapped, but let's take the response of those kidnapped to consider how we respond to enemies. Take the time to consider this.

The good news is that God in Christ Jesus turns enemies into friends—sons and daughters of the God that they/we once rejected. So even as we pray for the freedom of these missionaries, may we also pray for the people we call enemies, that God would work in them and set them free from sin and reconcile them to both him and us.

You can read ongoing updates from the missionary board here if you’re interested: https://christianaidministries.org/updates/haiti-staff-abduction/