Smash-Mouth Praying

“O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!”
Psalm 58:6

January 10, 2024

Does it anger you when the defenseless and innocent are exploited? Does it irritate you when a law is used to force businesses to violate their Christian beliefs? Is it beyond disturbing to see evil being called good and good being called evil? God has a way for believers to respond to injustices, not the only way, but a way. If you have any experience with the psalms of the Old Testament, you may have noticed, in the words of theologian J. I. Packer, “the sudden transitions in the psalms from humble devotion to fiery imprecation (that can) create an embarrassing problem for the Christian.” This is called imprecatory praying, namely, calling down God’s righteous judgment upon evil doers. King David’s knowledge of the law of God made it evident to him that hearts and hands were busy with violence and oppression. So we in our prayers can call out to God to bring injustice to account. Name it for what it is, not merely a social problem, but God-insulting evil doing. There is a time when we are to express the desire for God to intervene in history to judge the worst sins and make righteousness to flourish. Satan is at war with God’s kingdom and all God’s kingdom warriors. We know that the judgment of God against rebellion will not be exhaustively dealt with until Christ’s Second Coming. However, the “war psalms” (e.g., Psalm 58) show us how to be righteously angry (Psa. 4:4; Eph. 4:25-26). We don’t have to get use to the bullying. The God-defying behavior of evil-doers is to be laid out before Almighty God. For one thing, we can call upon God to confound and defeat the designs of Satan’s agents. Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath. Talk to God about it.
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“O Lord of all justice, show me how to channel my passion for justice in a way that honors your name and upholds your holy standards. Lord, hold your enemies’ feet to the fire while repentance is still possible.”