Good morning!
Today is a reflection day
Yesterday we encountered Psalm 109 on the schedule…. Psalm 108 the day before. They are quite different! Psalm 108 has been put to music as a praise chorus. It lifts, exalts and celebrates the Lord. By contrast, Psalm 109 is what scholars call an “imprecatory” Psalm. To “imprecate” means to “to curse.”
It certainly is honest to wish bad things upon evil people. It is the song of our heart when we read in the news about awful things being done by wicked men (like ISIS). It can be the ugly song of our heart when we have been offended by someone. “May their toast be burnt, their milk sour and their berries moldy!” (I am writing this just before breakfast).
I don’t particularly enjoy reading the imprecatory Psalms, but we have them for a reason. First off, God stands harshly against evil. When we encounter evil and we share His heart, it is appropriate that we would likewise respond harshly. Secondly, we are seeing an example of simple honesty before the Lord. It is what He wants, even when our mood is foul. Part of the blessing of prayer is that the Lord is the one and only who actually knows our heart. So, we can and should be absolutely honest before Him when we pray.
Imprecatory Psalms always come around to the Lord and His goodness and provision of deliverance. When we pray from a place of anger, pain or anxiety, what He does is move our hearts towards trust, thanks and praise for Him. The best cure for a nasty case of burning revenge lust is to go to prayer. Whenever we are in the agony of facing evil, whenever we are asking “How do I pray when I am so angry?” The imprecatory Psalms show us the way. (Here’s a listing of them: Psalms 5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140)
in Him, Mike