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Can You Pray That?
David minced no words when he asked God to break the teeth of his enemies. Do you see a problem with this prayer of David's? Hopefully, as a Christian, you do, and you may even wonder how it fits into the message of the Bible
Are we allowed to pray something like that, Pastor Bob? Obviously, there's a moral dilemma here. In the New Testament, we see Jesus clearly commanding His followers to love and bless their enemies, not to ask God to break their teeth in their mouths.
"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you... Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)
So what's a Christian supposed to do? Should David's Old Testament prayer be disregarded because it's outdated? Is there anything to be gleaned or gained for those of us who are called to live according to New Testament ethics?
Clearly, David's prayer here isn't prescriptive for us. That is, it isn't something God is prescribing for us because that would go against Christ's commands. But it is descriptive...descriptive of the kind of intense reaction that ought to be present in the hearts of the righteous toward wickedness.
Something is really wrong if we have a blasé or tepid reaction to the imprint and influence of sin. Wickedness shouldn't fly under our radar or blend into the background. It ought to stir us up, evoke our passions, and get our juices flowing, as was the case with David. His passionate response to wickedness should also be our reaction to wickedness.
God, fill us with Your compassion for sinners and with Your hatred for sin...and help us to never get the two confused.
Wickedness ought to stir us up, evoke our passions, and get our juices flowing.
Think about it...
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
David minced no words when he asked God to break the teeth of his enemies. Do you see a problem with this prayer of David's? Hopefully, as a Christian, you do, and you may even wonder how it fits into the message of the Bible
Are we allowed to pray something like that, Pastor Bob? Obviously, there's a moral dilemma here. In the New Testament, we see Jesus clearly commanding His followers to love and bless their enemies, not to ask God to break their teeth in their mouths.
"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you... Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)
So what's a Christian supposed to do? Should David's Old Testament prayer be disregarded because it's outdated? Is there anything to be gleaned or gained for those of us who are called to live according to New Testament ethics?
Clearly, David's prayer here isn't prescriptive for us. That is, it isn't something God is prescribing for us because that would go against Christ's commands. But it is descriptive...descriptive of the kind of intense reaction that ought to be present in the hearts of the righteous toward wickedness.
Something is really wrong if we have a blasé or tepid reaction to the imprint and influence of sin. Wickedness shouldn't fly under our radar or blend into the background. It ought to stir us up, evoke our passions, and get our juices flowing, as was the case with David. His passionate response to wickedness should also be our reaction to wickedness.
God, fill us with Your compassion for sinners and with Your hatred for sin...and help us to never get the two confused.
Wickedness ought to stir us up, evoke our passions, and get our juices flowing.
Think about it...
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
Scripture
About this Plan
Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, founded in 1985, has grown to be one of the largest churches in the country, and now has nine regional campuses in Florida in addition to the main campus in Fort Lauderdale. The church has established and now operates dozens of ministries to answer the needs for foster care, addiction recovery, and discipleship training. The church's mission is simply, "make disciples."
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We would like to thank Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for providing this daily devotional. For more information about the church and other media resources it provides for personal discipleship, please visit www.calvaryftl.org
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