Pray for everyone. Not just the people you like. Not just your family. Not just for those close to you. Pray for everyone. Pray for those who do you wrong. Pray for those you've never encountered.
When teaching a politics class, I often refer to a something studied in social psychology. Unfortunately, I am blanking out on the technical term, so I will just describe it. We tend to favor those who we see ourselves associated with. If a member of my family is in dispute with a neighbor, I side with the family member. If my neighbor argues with someone across town, I side with my neighbor. If someone from across town argues with someone from a different town, I side with the person from my town. We naturally favor those with whom we identify. This has both positive and negative consequences.
In terms of prayer, it means it is much easier for us to pray for those with whom we identify. I don't do a good job of praying for those in South America. I don't have any affinity with that part of the world. I don't bother to see what their needs might be.
A few years ago I had a book that was essentially a guide for praying for every country in the world. I got it at a missions conference, and, although it had some flaws (including factual errors), it did at least give me a broader perspective. I was able to see needs outside myself and outside those with whom I identify. I was better able to (although not perfectly able to) pray for everyone.
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