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<br><br><b><font size="+1">A Prayer of Imprecation</font></b><br><b>Topic: </b>Liturgical Notes [Douglas Wilson]<br><p>One
of the easiest things in the world to misunderstand (and therefore to
misrepresent) is the biblical pattern of imprecatory prayer. It is very
easy to interpret the practice as some kind of primitive voodoo doll
custom, practiced only by the petty and vindictive. But for those who
are open to a very fine treatment of the subject, I would recommend
John Day's book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_/102-0677873-7898543?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Crying+for+Justice&Go.x=7&Go.y=13&Go=Go" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
Crying for Justice</a></i>.
Over the last few years, the fact that we have prayed this way has been
seized on by some of our adversaries as proof-positive that we
obviously are crazed fundamentalists. But fundamentalism is the
practice of absolutizing bits and pieces of Scripture. Liberalism is
the absolutizing of other portions. To their credit, the
fundamentalists at least knew that the death of Christ on the cross was
more important than than Pharaoh offered the Israelites full employment
benefits, but the fundamentalist vision is still truncated for all
that. But what happens when we submissively come to <i>tota et sola Scriptura</i>?
Imprecation is part of it. Below is a sample prayer of imprecation, so
those who are wondering if a biblical Christian could ever pray this
way can read through one and see for themselves. But I think that the
real question needs to be presented to those Christians who never have
occasion to pray this way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Father of Jesus Christ, our gracious God, we cry out to You in a
time of trouble. Our adversaries come at us with lies, lies that they
delight to tell, fluent lies, as their father tells them, in their
native language.</p>
<p>We pray that You would return to them seven-fold, according to all
that they have done or said or hoped for, and all according to the
promises of Your holy Word. Grant to them shame of face, <i>so that they might turn back to You</i>
and seek Your name. We would not be like Jonah, resentful or afraid of
Your grace to other sinners, even to those who have sinned grievously
against us.</p>
<p>You have taught us, called us, summoned us, to love our enemies, to
bless those who curse us, to rejoice when we are mistreated by them,
and to return good for evil. We are not to return evil for evil, but
rather to overcome evil with good. We accept this and rejoice in it. We
know and understand that this is based on Your holy character and
example—You give rain and sunlight to the righteous and unrighteous
both—and that this is therefore Your standard of holiness for us, and
we gladly submit to it. We therefore seek the grace to continue to love
our enemies, asking You to save them. Not only would we be saved from
their treachery and lies, but we ask that You would save <i>them</i> from their treachery and lies.</p>
<p>In praying this way, we ask that we would be able to distinguish
sharply between those who are our personal enemies, and those who are
our enemies for Your name's sake. We pray that we would extend nothing
but wholehearted grace to the former, and that we would commit the
terrors of strict justice, with regard to the latter, entirely and only
to You. We would not be like the disciples who, caught up in their
mistaken zeal, did not know "what spirit they were of." We would ask
nothing from You in this that Your Word does not specifically invite us
to ask. You are a God who keeps covenant to a thousand generations, and
we are asking You to keep Your covenant word. If justice falling on the
heads of our enemies is not a promise of <i>covenant</i> justice,
Lord, we don't want to ask for it. But if it is such a promise, we dare
not refuse to ask. How long, Lord, will You leave in sin those who
mistreat Your people in this way?</p>
<p>If it is not Your sovereign purpose to destroy them through saving
grace, we pray that You would humiliate them and give them shame of
face regardless. We pray that they would fall into the pit they have
purposefully dug for us. <span style="font-weight: bold;">We pray that You would turn all their plans
and purposes upside down. Like Haman, we pray that they would be hanged
on the gallows they have built for Your people. </span>You are the judge of
the whole earth; will You not do right? How long will You delay in
bringing justice to the earth? Doesn't it <i>bother</i> You that Your
name and Your people are treated this way? We know that You are
everlastingly good; why are You silent in that goodness? We know that
You have promised to justify and vindicate Your people; rise up, Lord,
and scatter Your enemies!</p>
<p>Father, we pray that You would <i>deal</i> with this situation. If
it is Your good pleasure to deal with it through saving them, then that
is what we would by far prefer, and it <i>is</i> what we ask for. But
if it is not Your good pleasure to save them, we ask that You would cut
them off in their course of sinning regardless, and that You would not
allow their iniquity to come to its full measure. Set limits to Your
judgment on them. We pray that You would set limits to that judgment by
setting limits to their lies and treachery. We pray, Father, that You
would cut them off in the midst of their sin.</p>
<p>We ask that You would deliver us from their snares in a way that
showcases Your final and ultimate vindication and justification of us,
together with all Your people. We know that we are sinners, and that
many just and righteous accusations <i>could</i> be brought against
us. For the sake of Christ, we pray that we would be justified
concerning all that we have done that is wrong and wicked. But because
Christ is our Protector as well as Savior, we pray that we would be
vindicated and justified with regard to all that we have <i>not</i>
done wrong. You chastise us for our sins, but that is not why these
evil men and women attack us—they attack us because we love what is
good, and because we trust in You.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Father, we pray that the angel of the Lord would chase them down. We
pray that You would set for them a dark and slippery place, and that
the angel of the Lord would persecute them there. </span>They have hated us
without any just cause at all, and they have devised all their plots
without any good reason. We ask You therefore to rise up and defend us.
Stand in the pass behind us, and lower Your spear against them. Turn
them back from their wicked attacks. <i>Rout</i> them, we pray. Chase
them like chaff in a stiff wind. <span style="font-weight: bold;">We pray that You would string Your
bow, sharpen Your sword, make ready all the instruments of death.
Ordain Your arrows to fly against those who persecute the righteous.
Make their mischief to roll back on their own impudent heads.</span></p>
<p>Those who hate us without cause are more than the hairs of our
heads, and yet, Lord, we know that You have all those hairs numbered.
You number and name, and note, their hatreds. You know our foolishness;
You know our sinfulness, and You also know that our <i>sin</i> is not
why we are being attacked. Rather it is for Your sake, and our
identification with You. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Let their table become poisonous to them, let
it become a snare. Let their eyes be darkened, and judicial blindness
fall upon them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">We pray that their eyes would be blinded by You; strike them so that
they cannot see. Father, we pray that You would make their loins shake
continuously, that they would be seized with fear and amazement. </span>Pour
out hot indignation all over them; take hold of them tightly in Your
wrathful anger. <span style="font-weight: bold;">May their dwellings become empty and desolate</span>—for
whenever You chastise anyone <i>else</i>, they love to pile on as
though You were not there. They persecute the one that You are
disciplining, and by their talk they dismay the one who is suffering
under Your hand. Add iniquity to their iniquity; make a great heap of
their sins. Do not let them enter into Your righteousness. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Blot them
out of the book of the living.</span> Do not record their names alongside the
names of the righteous.</p>
<p>God of our praise, do not hold Your peace. The mouths of the wicked
and the mouths of the deceitful have joined in chorus together, and
they are speaking against us with lying tongue. They are surrounding us
with words of hatred, and they fight against us without good reason. It
is because we love You that they are our adversaries, but we still give
ourselves to prayer. Not only have we incurred their hostility by
loving You, but we have also loved <i>them</i>, and have been treacherously betrayed by them. They returned evil for good, and hatred for love, ingratitude for kindness.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Let these wicked men come under the rule and reign of wicked men.
Let Satan be continually at their right hand, accusing them. When they
come into judgment, when the trial comes, we pray that the verdict of
guilty would be rendered. When they cry out to You, let their prayers
be reckoned as sinful. When they pray to You, let the ceiling above
them remain silent. Cut short their days. </span>When they have abused offices
within Your Church, let other faithful men rise up to take their place.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Let their children be orphaned, cut off without a father. Let their
wives be widows, and we pray that their children would be desolate,
having to beg their bread in empty places. We pray that the extortioner
would come back at them, catching them in their plots, and taking all
that they have. May strangers and aliens pillage them and leave them
with nothing. We pray that when this happens, and Your hand is evident,
that no one would show mercy, and that no kindness would be extended to
his fatherless children. Cut off his posterity; may his name and his
line come to nothing. Recall how sinful his father was, and call up
again the sins of his mother. May their sins come before Your throne
continually so that their name may be blotted out, and remembered on
the earth no more.</span></p>
<p>We ask for this because he is merciless. He loved to kick the poor
and downtrodden, and sought to kill the broken-hearted. He loved
cursing, and so give him that cursing. He detested blessing, so let
blessing remain far away from him. He would put on curses like a
comfortable coat; let those curses of his seep into him deeply. Tie
those curses around him permanently. Let this be the clothing of all
our enemies.</p>
<p>Let them curse, so long as You bless. When they get up in the
morning, and hear of the blessings You have bestowed on us, let them be
greatly ashamed. Let confusion cover over them completely, as though it
were a mantle. I pray that You stand at our right hand, and that You
would always save us from those who would condemn our souls.</p>
<p>We offer this pray to You in the righteous and holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and amen.</p><br><br><br><font size="6"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reality:</span></font><br><br><p style="font-family: georgia;">
<span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gods'
Word from Matthew 5: 38 through 48</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth.'</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the
other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak
as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse
anyone who wants to borrow from you.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love
your neighbor and hate your enemy.'</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he
makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous
and on the unrighteous.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>For if you love those who love you, what reward do you
have? <span> </span>Do not even the tax collectors do
the same?</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what
more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect".</span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>
</span></p>
<p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;"><span>Gods'
Word from Matthew 6: 4 through 8</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">"And whenever you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street
corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have
received their reward.</span>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the
door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>"When you are praying, do not heap up empty
phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of
their many words.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need
before you ask him."</span></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><br><br>Juanita Flores<br>Advocate for the Truth from Jesus