Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Psalm 58-65
Psalm 58:6
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
I said, “I will pray for you.” He just didn’t know how I would pray. I prayed a prayer that could be titled “Go get ‘em Lord!” To pray against our enemies is a privilege of a child of God. Sometimes it is our only resort.
Read the rest of David’s prayer to God in this psalm. Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. As a snail which melteth away, let every one of them pass away… on he goes. There are at least three reasons to sometimes pray like this against another.
One, it gives an outlet. Pour your innermost thoughts out to Him, even if they may be wrong. This will be just that, an outlet, pouring out those hostile feelings and antagonistic thoughts. Many hold these feelings and thoughts in for so long until they build up as a bomb. Sooner or later that bomb will go off. Disarm it through prayer. Tell the Lord, He will not share it with anyone else, He understands, and He can do something about it all. He will probably change you.
Two, it gives a sort of cleansing to the soul. The thoughts against another, like the one’s David recorded, need to be cleansed from one’s life. This is more than an outlet; it is a cleansing. Picture a field that is filled with trash bags, refuse, and debris of all types. There may be oozing of nasty fluids there, rotting food items, and unsanitary germs of all kinds creeping around in that field. Now, picture a field that is mowed, trimmed, has some flowers planted here and there, and has a calm flowing breeze that carries the aroma of pine scent. Which would you rather your soul be like, the dirty field, or the pristine field? The only way to change the dirty field to a clean one is by cleansing it of its trash.
Thirdly, it gives the overall issue to the Lord just like I Peter 5:7 states. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Just cast all those feelings and thoughts about the enemy on the Lord. And leave them there! Do not pick them up again! Stop it right there, let God take care of it the way He determines is best.
So, I prayed for the man. I told the Lord all that I wanted to do to him based upon those evil words he spoke about me and the crafty maneuvers he made to impede my way. I don’t remember the entire prayer, but after a while, this type of prayer changed things. I changed. I saw him as a lost man in need of a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I realized I may be the only one to help him come to Christ. So, my entire manner of dealing with him changed, I befriended him and did my best to be a visible and vocal witness to him. To this day he is probably still under the curse of sin and my heart breaks at that prospect. Nothing he did to me is worth an eternity in the lake of fire. Lord, please save him still.
Yes, sometimes prayer like the one David prayed is the last resort. A prayer like this will change things, one way or the other.
Dr. William T. Howe
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