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September 18, 2020 Q & A

Praying the Imprecatory Psalms

Question

Should we pray the imprecatory Psalms?

Answer

I’ve been asked to respond to the question you posted to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s website.

Should we pray the imprecatory Psalms? Briefly, yes! The imprecatory Psalms (which call down God's judgment upon his enemies) teach us to pray to God with regard to our enemies and persecutors in a just way. By asking the Lord to judge, we give up our own sinful desire to take vengeance. Of course, that assumes one is in the right and one’s enemies are in the wrong. One should prayerfully consider whether this is the case before one prays an imprecatory Psalm.

May your prayers leave all judgment to the Lord, who has mercifully substituted the judgment on his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the judgment we so richly deserve!

 

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