PRAYING AGAINST EVIL

Volume 3 1987

The Psalms are alive with a burning devotion to God, a refreshing appreciation of God’s Holiness, a zealous enthusiasm for God’s Word and an intense hatred of evil. The soldier/shepherd/king/psalmist David was “a man after God’s own heart” 1 Sam 13:14. We need to learn to fear and respect and love God as David did. And “to honour the Lord is to hate evil”  Prov 8:13.

“Condemn them and punish them, O God; may their own plots cause their ruin. Drive them Out of your presence BECAUSE OF THEIR MANY SINS AND THEIR REBELLION AGAINST YOU.” Psalm 5:10.

“You are a righteous God and judge our thoughts and desires. Stop the wickedness of evil men and reward those Who are good. God is my protector; He saves those who obey Him. GOD IS A RIGHTEOUS JUDGE AND ALWAYS CONDEMNS THE WICKED. IF THEY DO NOT CHANGE THEIR WAYS, GOD WILL SHARPEN HIS SWORD. He bends His bow and makes it ready; He takes up His deadly weapons and aims His burning arrows. See how wicked people think up evil, they plan trouble and practise deception. But in the traps they set for others, they themselves get caught. So they are punished by their own evil.. . I thank the Lord for His justice.” Psalm 7:9-17

“DEATH IS THE DESTINY OF ALL THE WICKED, OF ALL THOSE WHO REJECT GOD.” Psalm 9:17.

“O Lord, punish those wicked men! REMEMBER THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING.” Psalm 10:12.

“Break the power of wicked and evil men; punish them for the wrong they have done UNTIL THEY DO IT NO MORE.” Psalm 10:15.

“THE RIGHTEOUS WILL BE GLAD WHEN THEY SEE SINNERS PUNISHED; they will wade through the blood of the wicked. People will say,’. . . there is indeed a God who judges the world.” Psalm 58:10,11.

“SCATTER THEM by your strength and defeat them, O Lord our protector. Sin is on their lips may they be caught in their pride! Because they curse and lie, destroy them in your anger;.. . THEN EVERYONE WILL KNOW THAT GOD RULES .. . that His rule extends over all the earth.” Psalm 59:11-13

“GOD WILL SURELY BREAK THE HEADS OF HIS ENEMIES, OF THOSE WHO PERSIST IN THEIR SINFUL WAYS.” Psalm 68:21.

“I will never accept honour from evil men, because I AM ALWAYS PRAYING AGAINST THEIR EVIL DEEDS.” Psalm 14 1:5.

Can we say, with the Psalmist, that we too are always praying against evil? How can evil be increasing if we are really resisting evil? Compromise and apathy, half halfheartedness and a lukewarm response to God’s Word is weakening us to accept evil instead of opposing it.

Jesus has given His people — the Church— the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; what ever we bind, limit or restrict will be bound. Whatever we loose, release or disseminate will be loosed (Matt 16:19). Those people submitted to God and trusting in Christ have the power and authority to resist evil (James 4:7), oppose what is wrong (1 John 4:4) and extend God’s Kingdom (Matt 28:19) by prayer and practise, in faith and action.

God is great and whoever is submitted to God’s Word can say: 
“You give me strength to attack my enemies and power to overcome their defences. The Lord alone is God; , . . He is the God who makes me strong . . . He trains me for battle . . . You give me strength for the battle and victory over my enemies...The Lord lives! Praise my defender! Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me.” Psalm 18-29-46