Praying for Our Enemies

"Total forgiveness involves an additional element: praying for God's blessings to rain on the lives of your offenders." Total Forgiveness

Why does God ask us to pray for our enemies? To what end? Why would He ask us to do something that just benefits them and not ourselves? 

I have always wondered if there was a deeper reason for the command to pray for those that hurt us. Lately, God has been teaching me that there is a real reason for it and that it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with our enemies, but rather with ourselves!

What things do we normally have the motivation to pray for?  Are they not the things/people that are nearest and dearest to our hearts? One of the reasons that God asks us to pray for them is so that our hearts will be changed.  We will begin to connect with them on a heart level.  We will begin to care for them and what happens to them because we are praying.  They will become important to us in a positive way instead of a negative way.

God also knows that we can't keep hating someone if we are praying for them.  Something has to give.  If we continue praying our heart of hatred will change to one of love. We will be able to break through the negative emotions and forgive.

So really, is praying for our enemies for our enemies? Or is praying for our enemies really about us? God changing our hearts for those around us. Helping us to get out of the trap of unforgiveness and bitterness.  God is so amazing! There are so many angles to what He requests of us and in the end they are all for our benefit.