Pray For Them That Despitefully Use Us

I was reading today about the conversion of Alma the younger and something stood out that I had never thought about before. After Alma basically falls into a coma, he is brought to his father, and his father, as the high priest, calls all the members of the church together to fast and pray that his son might recover. Now, these people who are being asked to fast for the welfare of Alma the Younger are probably not his biggest fans. He had gone around trying to destroy the church, broke up families, seduced and flattered sons and daughters, wives and husbands into disbelief and apostasy. These people had very good reasons to hate this man. And yet they prayed and fasted. Not for a few hours but for two days. That's incredible. These people loved their high priest and their God enough to fast for two whole days for a man who had done his best to destroy them and their families and their religion. And I would argue that fasting for two whole days meant that deep down they loved Alma the Younger as well. We as human beings have a remarkable ability to cut through all of the noise of labels and political affiliations and tribal allegiances and simply see a fellow brother or sister whom we love and who needs our help when they are suffering and helpless. I pray that we can take the example of the people of Nephi who had the humility and the courage and the unconquerable love to pray for a man who sought to destroy them. As Christ invited us to do on the sermon on the mount, let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them that despitefully use us and persecute us.