A Prayer to Overcome Hate

Prayer
Nautilus Shell Studios/Getty Images

Hate has become quite the overused word.  We tend to talk about things we hate when we really mean we dislike something. However, there are times when we let hate into our hearts and it sits there and festers inside of us. When we allow hate to take over, we allow darkness to enter into us. It clouds our judgment, makes us more negative, adds a bitterness to our lives. However, God offers us another direction.  He tells us we can overcome hate and replace it with forgiveness and acceptance. He gives us a chance to bring the light back into our hearts, no matter how much we try to hold onto the hate.  Here is a prayer to overcome hate before it takes us over:

A Sample Prayer

Lord, thank you for all you do in my life. Thank you for all you provide for me and the direction you give. Thank you for protecting me and being my strength every day. Lord, today I lift up my heart to you because it is filling with hatred that I can’t seem to control. There are times when I know I should let go of it, but it just keeps grabbing onto me. Every time I think about this thing, I just get angry all over again. I can feel the rage inside me build, and I just know the hatred is doing something to me.

I ask, Lord, that you intervene in my life to help me overcome this hatred. I know you warn against letting it fester. I know you ask us to love rather than hate. You forgive us all for our sins rather than letting us be angry. Your son died on a cross for our sins rather than you allowing yourself to hate us. He couldn’t even hate his captors. No, you are the ultimate in forgiveness and overcoming even the potential for hate. The only thing you hate is sin, but it is a thing, and you still offer up your grace when we fail.

Yet, Lord, I’m struggling with this situation, and I need you to help me. I am not sure I have the strength right now to let this hatred go.  I am hurt.  It is distasteful.  I get distracted by it sometimes. I know it is taking hold, and I know you are the only one strong enough to get me beyond this. Help me go from hatred to forgiveness. Help me walk away from my hatred and temper it down so I can see the situation clearly. I no longer want to be clouded.  I no longer want my decisions to be biased. Lord, I want to move on from this heaviness in my heart.

Lord, I know hate is much stronger than just a dislike of things. I see the difference now. I know this is hate because it is strangling me. It is keeping me from a freedom that I’ve seen others experience when they’ve overcome hatred. It draws me into dark thoughts, and it keeps me from moving forward.  It’s a dark thing, this hatred. Lord, help me let the light back in. Help me come to an understanding and acceptance that this hatred isn’t worth the weight it has placed on my shoulders.

I am struggling right now, Lord, and you are my savior and my support. Lord, please let your spirit into my heart so that I can move forward. Fill me with your light and let me see clear enough to come out of this fog of hatred and anger. Lord, be my everything at this moment so I can be the person you desire for me.

Thank you, Lord.  In your name, Amen.

Format
mla apa chicago
Your Citation
Mahoney, Kelli. "A Prayer to Overcome Hate." Learn Religions, Aug. 26, 2020, learnreligions.com/prayer-to-overcome-hate-712178. Mahoney, Kelli. (2020, August 26). A Prayer to Overcome Hate. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/prayer-to-overcome-hate-712178 Mahoney, Kelli. "A Prayer to Overcome Hate." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/prayer-to-overcome-hate-712178 (accessed March 29, 2024).