Jesus’ Powerful Stand Against Back-to-Sender Prayers
Unknown to many Christians, Jesus banned back-to-sender prayers, which are common in some Pentecostal churches. This article will cover the meaning of such prayers, their implications, why Jesus banned them, and the best way to pray.
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Table of Contents
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:38-39 KJV)
Many Christians, especially Pentecostals, pray back-to-sender prayers, but in the scripture above, Jesus banned such prayers.
What is a Back-to-Sender Prayer?
It can be defined as the act of retaliation or returning any evil sent or done to a person to the sender or originator. In layperson’s language, it refers to a prayer that returns evil to the originator or sender.
The Implication of Back-to-Sender Prayer
Back-to-sender prayer is a vengeful and retaliative
prayer. It is a blatant display of unforgiveness —
a total rejection of forgiveness. Although it sounds logical for a person to pray for evil to happen to someone who did evil against them, it’s not God’s will. Notably, God wants us to forgive everyone who offends us. If you genuinely forgive anyone, you wouldn’t want the same measure of evil the person did to return to them.
When a person returns any evil done against them to the originator, they become as guilty as the originator. For example, if Peter burns John’s car, the Police will arrest and prosecute him. However, suppose Peter burns John’s car, and John burns Peter’s car in retaliation. In that case, the Police will also arrest John and prosecute him.
Since John retaliated with the same evil, he is as guilty as Peter. Similarly, when one returns the same measure of evil to the originator, one becomes as guilty as the originator. One can only avoid becoming as guilty as the originator by entirely forgiving.
Anyone who prays to return evil to its originator lacks forgiveness and, as such, won’t receive forgiveness of sins from God. For one’s sins to be forgiven, one must forgive others. Since those who pray to return evil to its originator do so because they lack forgiveness, God doesn’t forgive their sins. And anyone whose sins are not forgiven is not a Christian.
Why Jesus Banned Back-to-Sender Prayer
Before Jesus’s coming, returning evil for evil was okay, but that changed when He sacrificed His life for us on the Cross of Calvary. Before He came, people received punishment for their sins: the soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:20-21.) But when Jesus came, He changed the procedure by sacrificing Himself for our sins. Instead of us dying because of our sins, Jesus died on our behalf and washed away our sins.
After changing the procedure for forgiveness, forgiving others became a condition we must meet before God forgives us. That explains why Jesus changed the evil for evil prayer in today’s scripture.
In today’s Bible passage, Jesus says we should not practise an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. He also states that we should not resist evil. Instead, if someone slaps us on the right cheek, we should also turn the other cheek to slap.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, which connote revengeful prayer, was part of Moses’s law. But in today’s passage, Jesus said we should stop it, meaning He does not want us to take revenge or return evil for evil. He wants us to forgive.
Remarkably, a Christian means a follower of Christ and not a follower of Moses. So, as Christians, we must follow Christ’s teachings and not Moses’s law. Anyone who doesn’t follow Christ’s principles is not a Christian.
The Best Way To Pray
Instead of praying back-to-sender prayers, pray for your enemies (Matthew 5:43-45). When you do so, God will take over the battle from you and fight on your behalf (Romans 12:19). When God fights on your behalf, the evil sent or done against you won’t affect you. Besides, the person may repent and become a true Christian, which is what God wants. If they refuse to repent and continue fighting you, God takes over the battle from you and deals with them thoroughly. And most importantly, you will receive your desired miracles effortlessly.
FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 5:43-45
PRAYER POINT
Dear Father, forgive me for any evil prayer I have ever prayed in Jesus’ name.
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