Praying Through The Imprecatory Psalms

Nick Minerva • Feb 10, 2021

 

Some Psalms are easy to pray through. It doesn’t take a lot of creative genius to pray through Psalm 23. But then other Psalms make us scratch our heads. Perhaps in more honest moments we may even wonder if what the Psalmist wrote was allowed to be said at all. Psalms that say “Pour out your rage on them, and let your burning anger overtake them” hardly sound Christian. But there it is in inspired Scripture. (Psalm 69:24) These types of Psalms are called “imprecatory psalms.” How do we pray through these passages?


A Bit Of Background


It’s helpful to rightfully understand these Psalms beforehand, so let me give a bit of context. (Full disclosure, I’m not going to solve the tension we feel with many of these Psalms in this or any post.) First of all, it’s helpful to note that the enemies that are often presented in imprecatory Psalms are not people who cut us off in traffic, or we disagree with politically. (As much as we might be tempted to consider them as such.) They are people who are willing to use every bit of vile wickedness at their disposal to suppress and eliminate those who live godly. These psalms are not driven by revenge, but justice. Revenge was forbidden in the Old Testament. (Lev. 18:17-19) These Psalms are driven by a desire to see God’s name be glorified and his righteousness to be displayed. It’s also helpful to remember that the book of Psalms is very poetic, so these curses that we read often use extravagant language to get their point and feelings across, leaving the exact fulfillment of it to God.


So What Do We Do With Them Now?

 

So what do we do with these Psalms now? Ignore them? Pretend they don’t exist? No. Understanding them in their historical context can help us better understand Scripture. Understanding them can also give us a passion for the mission of God because apart from the saving work of Christ, every person is heading towards judgment. It is important for us to realize that people are not our enemy. They are our mission. Like the writers of the imprecatory Psalms, we are in a battle. We do need God to rise up and fight. But unlike the writer of the imprecatory Psalms, our fight is not with flesh and blood. (Ephesians 6:12) It’s against cosmic powers of darkness and evil spiritual forces. So to answer our question, we pray them. 

 

Praying Through Imprecatory Psalms


How many times have you prayed something similar to “God help me not to sin.”? Obviously the heart behind that prayer is good and right. Sounds pretty close to Matthew 6:13. (But remember that was a model prayer, not an exact prayer to repeat.) But because it’s so vague we don’t know if or how God answers it. And if we were to be honest, that doesn’t stir up our heart for prayer, especially for something as important as victory over sin. But what if instead of praying a vague, “Lord help me not to sin today” you prayed “Lord, would you rise up against the apathy that I am battling within my heart?” (Psalm 10:12). The phrase “Rise up” is a martial call to action, to war! Check out Psalm 69:25. It says “Make their fortification desolate; may no one live in their tents.” You could pray, “Lord, I pray that you would tear down whatever strongholds lust has in mind. Make its fortifications in my heart desolate.” Or  “I pray that my surmising toward {enter specific name here} would not live in the tent of my mind.” Using the language of these Psalms in our prayers towards spiritual and emotional enemies breathes new life into our fight for holiness.  

 

 

Using the language of these Psalms also helps us pray for sin we see on a global scale. Let’s revisit Psalm 10:12. The entire verse says “Rise up, LORD God! Lift up your hand. Do not forget the oppressed.” The following verses can be tremendously helpful as we pray for issues like terrorism, human trafficking, racism, or the persecuted church around the world. We can pray “God, break the arm of these wicked institutions until this sin can no longer be found.” (Psalm 10:15) Rise up and go to war against them. (Psalm 10:12) Do justice for those who are stripped away from their families and those who are oppressed. Bring the people who are involved in these evil organizations to a place of repentance before it is too late. (Psalm 2) (As a side note, it’s also helpful to find organizations that lead in these and partner with them in any way you can. We are often the own answer to our prayers. Most will have prayer lists that you can download on their websites. Take advantage of these and use these verses to lift up their requests.) This morning (2/10/21) I prayed through Psalm 10 and I am so thankful because this Psalm brought to my mind much of the global need that I might otherwise not have thought of or prayed for. 

 

 

While they might not be the Psalms we put on coffee mugs, praying through the imprecatory Psalms can actually breathe a lot of life into your prayers. It will give you fresh words to pray for your own fight for holiness. Praying them will also bring to your attention the global needs that we as believers much pray for.

 

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
More Posts
Share by: