Prayers Of Imprecation - Cursing The Wicked Leaders In Prayer
Moses did it:
“Rise up, O Lord! And let Thine enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Thee flee before Thee” (Num. 10:35).
The prophet Jeremiah did it, speaking stinging words of indictment and exhorting the wicked rulers and religious leaders of his age. King David asked for evil to repay evil because of the wicked deeds of his opponents. And even in the New Testament the saints pray, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:9-10).
Imagine with me for a moment. Imagine a worship service on any given Sunday morning, and a responsive reading of the Psalm is happening...and the Psalm (unedited) being sung in unison is Psalm 109.
The people are reciting the verses of the Psalm and then they get to 109:9-10
"Let his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow. Let his children wander as beggars, searching for food far from their demolished homes."
Imagine that prayer service.
And as if this wasn't bad enough...the people continue to recite...
vs.11 "Let a creditor seize all he has"
vs.12 "Let no one show him kindness, and let no one be gracious to his fatherless children."
WOW!
Imagine that prayer time.
What should our prayers against wicked rulers be like?
I believe a couple things about this. First the prayer should be genuine, probably not a detached responsive reading absent any thoughtful wisdom and careful consideration employing the spirit of discernment. And it should probably be about God's glory and will.
This is about a prayer done carefully, thoughtfully, and with forethought about the times and places at hand. And this prayer needs to be about compassion and empathy, remembering that the Bible tells us to make room for compassion. And the scripture is filled with prayer guidance in these situations.
Start by praying:
"Lord, grant me a heart filled with compassion and empathy toward those I encounter." - Colossians 3:12
And then when we've given appropriate consideration for the human frailty that is a part of everyone's experience, when we've walked in their shoes for a time, then we must pray for greater understanding.
"Help me, Lord, to understand the feelings and experiences of others, seeking to walk in their shoes." - Proverbs 2:6
And then after we've grown in understanding and wisdom about the circumstances, we pause long enough to think.
"Teach me patience, Lord, as I listen and support others in their times of need." - James 1:19
And we humbly ask for any forgiveness needed in our own hearts and mind before we get to praying for the removal of a wicked leader.
"Keep me humble, Lord, as I strive to empathize with others and put their needs before mine." - Philippians 2:3
"Give me discernment, Lord, to know when and how to express empathy effectively." - Proverbs 3:5-6
Now...now that we've got our mind and heart straight, now we need to straighten out our motives.
We must be about praying, “your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” Our fear of the Lord, and our righteous indignation regarding the wicked rulers of the world, should presuppose a love for God's righteousness. Our prayers must become all about God's glory, his will and his honor, and not about our own political persuasions and personal values. When we pray against the wicked rulers, we want to be sure we're not praying against the righteous authority that God has installed. It's not supposed to be our personal desire to defeat the wicked leadership, we're not going to do it; God needs to do it. It's supposed to be a prayer born out of the need for an act of God to remove the source of great evil and wickedness, so that relief and blessing in Christ will come.
The reality is life takes a heavy toll on everyone. The wicked and the righteous alike are living in this messed up world. All people are fighting despair in some manner. And yes...some people, evil people, have a propensity for choosing the darkside. They strive to overcome the world by making the lives of others miserable. The Bible calls them poisonous snakes, devouring lions, angry bulls, hungry dogs, liars, thieves, slanderers and traitors. And the righteous children of God are sometimes caught up in great fear and anxiety when facing the repercussions of the choices made by these evil people. As I'm writing that last sentence I'm thinking about all the people who reeked havoc on our culture during the COVID pandemic lockdowns and painful condemnations put on innocent people's lives who didn't trust the motives of the government and the media that pushed those false narratives and poisoned experimental treatments. Those people who have now been vindicated, but too late because their loved ones died, they lost jobs, they had their businesses crushed by onerous regulations and overreach by corporations. And many lost the love of family members who spoke evil against them and turned their backs on them because the world said those who had doubts were killing people.
So much wickedness was learned in those few years. We learned who people really are. We discovered who truly would stand up for righteousness, and at the same time who would knuckle under to the wicked "authorities" and even attack their own as enemies.
So many people think about the evils of the last century, and they think they'd be part of the resistance. They'd be the rebels. They'd hide Jews from the Nazis. They'd work against the wickedness of the world powers that are bent on destroying freedom. And then in 2020 we learned the truth about most people. We saw in short order just how brave people really are. The vast majority of the people turned on their own. Turned on their friends and families. Turned on the people who resisted the wicked corporations and onerous state regulations. They went so far as to accuse the resistance of insurrection and injustice. They impeached their integrity. They called dissent insurrection. They charged the unvaccinated people with the deaths of millions. And the media mocked them and now...even now...after all we now know that is true...they seek to remove the voices of that dissent completely from the mainstream culture. They're rewriting the history of the past few years. They're tearing down the truth and replacing it with invented stories. They're telling everyone that 2+2=5, and most will buy it.
So here we are...praying.
What should we pray?
I believe that we can pray against the wicked rulers and leaders, but we must know that worry causes problems, and concern solves problems. And so our prayer should reflect that truism. Our prayer must be rational and still reflect our love for God's grace.
We pray to God:
"Arise!"
"Awake!
"Hear us"
"Answer us"
"Have mercy on us"
"Do not ignore us"
"Help us Lord to remember there is no holiness without social holiness"
"Bring the wicked into Your judgment"
"Lift you hand against them"
"Strike terror into the hearts of our enemies"
"Bring disgrace to them"
"Let them slip on the dark paths they've created and where they walk"
"Let them be declared guilty"
"Cut them off"
"And have compassion upon their innocent families who have not been involved in their schemes"
"Have mercy on those who have been misled"
"Hasten to us"
"Let your light shine again on us"
"Be just Lord"
"Rescue the lost who were misled"
"Let the wicked learn from this about your sovereign grace"
"Fulfill your righteousness in their destruction"
"And deliver your children of the promise from the bondage of these devils"
"And may we never edit out any of the truths of this life in our worship, yes in all its ugliness, or change the truth of your words, or your righteous judgments and justice"
"Your will be done"
"Your kingdom come"
"Our faith is in you Lord, and in the knowledge that You participate meaningfully in the lives of your people"
"Lord, the storm has come, rescue us"
"Lord, settle accounts with the wicked"
"Lord, you are the God of our refuge, you are our way of escape"
"In you we trust, lift your hand and guide us into your righteous path"
"Help us to live in peace, and remove the sources of our anxiety that do not instruct us"
"Do not give us more than we can bear"
And finally Lord, help us to hear, gain courage from, and take to heart your word of blessing as we conclude our prayer...
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." (Matthew 5:11)
AMEN! And Amen.