Imprecatory prayers

Wiley Drake is a Southern Baptist pastor in California who recently appeared on The Alan Combs Show and made some shocking comments about praying for President Obama's death.

In response, our state convention president Walter Price had this to say:

Imprecation is, in essence, putting a curse on someone or asking God to curse them. Nowhere in the Bible are Christians encouraged to curse anyone, especially those with whom we disagree or those who would do us harm. In fact, we are commanded not to do so and to do just the opposite.

You can read more of Walter's excellent response here.

How, then, do we approach the "imprecatory" prayers found in the Bible? Does God intend us to do the same toward our leaders? Commenting on Psalm 58, Steve Lawson explains:

Government leaders are appointed by God for the good of the people. They are to serve as his agents through whom he works to provide law and order for society (Rom. 13:1-6). But leaders often become corrupt, and they minister injustice to good people. What are God's people to do in such a situation? The Bible calls them to leave vengeance with the Lord in the face of wicked leaders. They are to pursue peace with all men, submitting to those over them as much as possible. They must not take matters into their own hands. Ungodly leaders is an issue with which God must deal. But we can pray that the Lord will rebuke and remove such people." (Holman Old Testament Commentary: Psalms 1-75, p. 298)

To this we should add the prayer for repentance and salvation. No leader, regardless of the amount of wickedness and injustice he has committed, is beyond the reach of God's amazing grace. Just look at the king of Ninevah (Jonah 3:6). Or Ahab (1 Kings 21:27-29). Or Manasseh (2 Chron. 33:11-13). Or Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:34-37).

This is a far different response from the comments made by Pastor Drake. Thank you, Dr. Price, for speaking up on this issue and not letting Drake's interview represent all of us in the convention.

Praying for our leaders

Today is the National Day of Prayer, a special day set aside each year to gather publicly and intercede for our nation and leaders. Our local ministerial sponsored a community prayer service this morning at the local park to honor the occasion and lift up our praises and requests to God.

Not sure how to pray for the nation? Why not begin with 1 Timothy 2:2, which says to pray "for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

If God guides and blesses our leaders, it will result in peaceful life where the gospel can spread more freely. John MacArthur writes on this passage, "When it manifests love and goodness to all and prays passionately for the lost, including rulers, the church may experience a certain amount of religious freedom. Persecution should only be the result of righteous living, not civil disobedience" (MacArthur Study Bible, note on 1 Timothy 2:2)

Gary Bergel shares 30 ways to pray for people in authority:

1. That they be God fearing and recognize that they
are accountable to Him for each decision and act
(Prov. 9:10).
2. That they be granted wisdom, knowledge, and
understanding (Jas. 1:5).
3. That they be presented with the gospel and a loving
Christian witness (Ro. 10:14).
4. That, if unsaved, they be drawn to a saving encounter
with Christ; if born-again, they be strengthened and
encouraged in their faith (1 Tim. 2:4, Eph. 1:17-23).
5. That they recognize their own inadequacy and pray
and seek the will of God (Prov. 3:5-8, Lk. 11:9-13).
6. That they be convicted of sin, transgression, and
iniquity (Ps. 51:17, Jn. 8:9).
7. That they heed their conscience, confess their sins,
and repent (Prov. 28:13, Jas. 4:8).
8. That they read the Bible and attend prayer meetings
and Bible studies (Ps. 119:11, Col. 3:2).
9. That they value and regard the Ten Commandments
and the teachings of Christ (Ps. 19:7-11, Jn. 8:31-32).
10. That they respect and honor their own parents if
living (Eph. 6:2-3).
11. That they respect authority and practice
accountability (Ro. 13:1-7).
12. That they be given godly counsel and God-fearing
advisors (Prov. 24:6).
13. That they be honest and faithful to spouses and
children (Mal. 2:15-16).
14. That they be practicing members of local
congregations (Heb. 10:25).
15. That they desire purity and avoid debauchery,
pornography, perversion, and drunkenness
(1 Cor. 6:9-20, Titus 2:12).
16. That they be timely, reliable, and dependable
(Mt. 21:28-31).
17. That they be honest in financial, tax, and ethical
matters (1 Cor. 6:10, 1 Tim. 6:6-10).
18. That they seek pastoral care and counsel when
needed (Heb. 13:7).
19. That they seek out and nurture godly friendships
(Ps. 1:1-3).
20. That they have thankful and teachable spirits
(Ro. 1:21).
21. That they be generous and have compassionate hearts
for the poor and needy (Ps. 112:9, Lk. 10:33-37).
22. That they redeem their time and know priorities
(Eph. 5:15-17).
23. That they desire honesty, integrity, and loyalty
(Psalm 26, Prov. 11:3).
24. That they have courage to resist manipulation,
pressure, and the fear of man (Prov. 29:25, 2. Tim. 1:7).
25. That they be shielded from occultism, New Age cults,
false religions, and secret societies (Is. 1:29, 2:6).
26. That they be presented with biblical worldviews and
principles (Eph. 3:10).
27. That they endeavor to restore the sanctity of life,
families, divine order, and morality in our nation
(Eph. 5:22-6:4).
28. That they would work to reverse the trends of
humanism in our nation (1 Chron. 12:32, Is. 59:19).
29. That they desire humility and meekness and be
willing to serve and cooperate (Jn. 13:14, Titus 3:1-2).
30. That they be prepared to give account to Almighty
God (Heb. 9:27).

(You can order copies of this, and many other helpful prayer cards, through the Navpress website.)

Let's follow God's call to pray for our nation and leaders not only this day, but every day. He alone can bring repentance and true reform in the hearts of all who need Him.

A call to prayer

Walter Price, pastor of Fellowship in the Pass in Beaumont and current president of our Southern Baptist state convention, has called for a special day of prayer on Wednesday, April 15:

In light of the current moral, spiritual and economic decline of our nation, I am calling all CSBC churches to a season of focused prayer. April 15 is a significant date for all tax-paying citizens – it is also a Wednesday and many churches will be holding their scheduled prayer meeting.

Let’s dedicate an entire service on this day as a time of prayer for our nation. We should also dedicate a specific time in every Sunday service following this date for a similar special prayer focus as well.

What a powerful opportunity for our churches to join our hearts and voices together across this great state in prayer. God’s Word reminds us that we are to “Call to the Lord and He will show us great and mighty things” (Jeremiah 33:3). We are in a unique position as the people of God. The church is the one group in America that has good news and carries the message of true, lasting hope. With so many depressing reports coming from the secular news media, it is time for God’s people to respond with the good news of God’s abundance and sufficiency, even in a time of crisis.

Imagine the spiritual energy as every church, large and small, city and rural, joins together in this timely prayerful response. We should be careful not to craft the prayer services as identical models to follow, but we should embrace a few common elements as we pray together. Consider adding these five items to your prayer focus on April 15:

• Families facing financial struggles as a result of job loss and cutbacks
• Churches to respond with sensitivity and compassion to those in need
• Local, state and national elected officials to use wisdom in leadership
• Opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus clearly and effectively
• Humility, repentance and a true spiritual awakening in our nation

This call to prayer is being issued in the other state conventions across this nation by their presidents as well. I pray that we will join our hearts, minds and spirits together to call upon our holy and righteous Heavenly Father to grant us mercy and give us grace to help in our time of need.

Walter Price, pastor, Fellowship in the Pass Church, Beaumont

Ten prayer requests for election day

Al Mohler shares ten excellent prayer requests for this historic election day...

1. That God will bless America with leaders better than we deserve
2. That Americans will be motivated to fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship, yet also that we will be stripped of an unhealthy and idolatrous confidence in the power of government to save us
3. that Americans will vote by conscience, not merely on the basis of celebrity or emotion
4. That Americans will vote to defend the least among us -- and especially those who have no vote
5. That God will prick the conscience of the nation on issues of morality, righteousness, and respect for marriage as the central institution of human civilization
6. That God will protect these candidates and their families
7. That the election is conducted with honor, civility, respect, and justice
8. That Americans will be prepared to accept the results of the election with respect and kindness
9. That this election would lead to even greater opportunities to preach the Gospel, and that the freedom of the church will be respected, honored, and protected
10. That the church of the Lord Jesus Christ would be strengthened in the truth, grounded in the faith, and empowered for witness and ministry

Take time to vote today, and take some more time to pray.

Praying for the lost

I'm currently preaching on Sunday mornings on the Gospel, and how God has commissioned every believer to evangelize the lost. I think most of us would agree we need to evangelize more, yet often, when the opportunity arises, we break into a cold sweat and suddenly become like Moses -- "slow of speech and slow of tongue" (Ex. 4:10).

To help us grow in our understanding and ability to share the gospel, our church is learning a simple outline together: God, Man, Christ, and Response. At the same time, we are each praying for three unbelievers in our lives that we could be a witness to. I've chosen a neighbor, a local friend, and the person who cuts my hair.

Tonight, I came across this prayer, which would be a great one to use as we intercede for our unsaved friends. May God be pleased to answer the prayers of His people.

Father in heaven, I come to you humbly and yet boldly because of my salvation, which has united me with your Son. Your grace is reaching more and more people and calling them home. Therefore I pray for _____ . Hear my prayer even as you heard the pleading of your friend Abraham and spared his nephew Lot from terrible judgment. Your Son invited the spiritually tired, burdened and thirsty to take of the free water of eternal life. Lord, will you please open still another heart as you did mine? You alone can break addictions to self-righteousness, unbelief and sinful desires. Would it please you to provide repentance and faith leading to a new birth? Magnify your glory by delivering _____ from spiritual death. Lord, bring fame to your name by once again showing mercy. My plea is not based on my own goodness but on the sovereign love of Jesus Christ. Lord, I desire that you use me in telling the gospel of grace to others. Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done. Make your name famous. Amen. (Will Metzger, Tell the Truth, p. 237)

Remember the prisoners

"Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body" (Hebrews 13:3)

One brother in Christ we can remember in prayer is Pastor "Bike" Mingxuan. Pastor "Bike," known for traveling thousands of miles across China on a bicycle to evangelize, was arrested by Chinese police just two days before the Olympics began. He was the inspiration behind a unique wrist band project which encouraged people to pray for China, and has resulted in more than 800,000 bands to be circulated. To learn more about the Olympic Prayer Band, click here.

According to Voice of the Martyrs, Pastor Bike and other Chinese evangelists had been repeatedly harassed by Chinese officials leading up to his arrest. Please pray for the release of Pastor Bike and his wife. And in this Olympic year, please remember the prisoners.

Update on Tom Ascol

Donna Ascol has finally written an update on her husband Tom, who was struck by lighting two weeks ago. You can read her message here. It sounds like Tom is making a slow and difficult - but steady - recovery. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

I was convicted over my own lack of sensitivity toward the elderly and infirm as I read this paragraph:

We understand more about the mysteries of the human body and how many people suffer from real symptoms that cannot be viewed by casual observers. Even as Tom struggled through the airport, I wondered how many travelers were aware of his struggle. I doubt that those who were frustrated by his slow gait and halting steps stopped to consider what might be going on inside of him. I pray that God would help me to be more compassionate to those who struggle internally.

How's your prayer life?

How’s your prayer life? Mine can be pretty pathetic. I have good days, and I have bad days – probably more bad ones that good ones. Why? Because I lack self-discipline. Because I have misplaced priorities. Because I care more about the approval of man than the approval of God. Because my heart is often cold and apathetic. Because I feel overwhelmed by the seemingly urgent demands of life and ministry. Because in the prayer closet I suddenly struggle with “attention deficit.” Because I have much indwelling sin in my heart. Because I have an Adversary who is committed to prayer prevention. Because I can think of a thousand reasons to procrastinate.

More than likely, many of you struggle with prayer, too. D. A. Carson writes, “What is both surprising and depressing is the sheer prayerlessness that characterizes so much of the Western church. It is surprising, because it is out of step with the Bible that portrays what Christian living should be; it is depressing, because it frequently coexists with abounding Christian activity that somehow seems hollow, frivolous, and superficial. (D. A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, p. 9)

Over the past several months, our church has been studying through Ezra & Nehemiah on Sunday nights. One thing that we immediately noticed about Nehemiah is that he was a man of prayer. In chapter one, after hearing about the disgraceful condition of Jerusalem, Nehemiah “sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Neh. 1:4). The words of this prayer take up the rest of the chapter.

In chapter two, four months have passed, and Nehemiah finds himself in the presence of King Artaxerxes. The king notices he is distraught and asks him what he would propose to do. But before Nehemiah replies, it says, “I prayed to the God of heaven” (Neh. 2:4).

These two passages provide a study in contrasts. They illustrate the power and variety that should characterize our prayer lives.

Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter one is lengthy and emotional. It includes all the main ingredients of a healthy prayer life: praise, confession, Scripture saturation, intercession, and personal request. Nehemiah humbles his body by fasting from food and assuming a seated posture. He humbles his soul by speaking with great reverence and submission.

On the other hand, Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter two is brief and urgent. It is undoubtedly silent, for he is standing in the royal court, while the king awaits an answer. It’s related to his immediate situation, and demands an immediate response. If chapter one is a “letter” to God, chapter two is an “instant message.”

Both kinds of prayers should find a regular place in the life of the believer. We should have seasons of extended prayer, when we enjoy silence, solitude, and communion with our Lord. Sometimes, this will be private; sometimes with our family or church body. But we can't always pray long prayers. We should also have a continual attitude of prayer and offer short prayers throughout our day. As Paul said, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18).

Why not start this week by praying at least five or ten minutes per day? Surely, a small step of obedience is better than nothing at all. And you just might find yourself wanting to pray even longer.

May God help us learn to pray like Nehemiah - with great faith, reverence, variety, and urgency. We cannot expect God to bless our lives and our churches if we’re not seeking Him more passionately in prayer.

Praying God's promises

Our Sunday School class has been going through an inductive Bible Study by John Stott on the Book of Acts. When looking at the prayers of the disciples on those days between Christ's ascension and Pentecost, Stott comments,

[Jesus] had promised to send them the Spirit soon (Acts 1:4-5, 8). He had commanded them to wait for him to come and then to begin their witness. We learn, therefore, that God’s promises do not remove our need for prayer. On the contrary, it is only his promises which give us the warrant to pray and the confidence that he will hear and answer. (Acts: Seeing the Spirit at Work, p. 12)

Another great example of this promise-prayer relationship is found in the Babylonian exile. For centuries, Israel had rebelled against God with her idolatry and immorality. God was slow to anger, but eventually disciplined His chosen people. Yet even this discipline was for a season. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promised His judgment would only last for seventy years:

You have not listened to Me, …Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north…This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation… (Jer. 25:7-8, 11-12)

For thus says the LORD, When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. (Jer. 29:10-11)

A whole generation later, after Israel’s captivity and Babylon’s destruction, the prophet Daniel discovered God’s promise and prayed for God to fulfill His word:

In the first year of [Darius’] reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. (Dan. 9:2-3)

Notice that Daniel did not take God’s promise of deliverance for granted, but humbled Himself before God in prayer. And according to Ezra, God graciously answered Daniel’s prayer and finally fulfilled the prophecy given through Jeremiah so long ago…

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom,...” (Ezra 1:1)

There is a lesson here for each of us today. Just as the early disciples prayed for the promised Spirit, and just as Daniel prayed for God’s promised deliverance, so we too should pray often for the fulfillment of God’s promises. For example, we should:

• Pray that Christ will continue to build His church (Matt. 16:18)

• Pray that people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation will hear and receive the gospel (Matt. 28:19-20; Rev. 5:9)

• Pray that God will deliver us from temptation (1 Cor. 10:13; Matt. 6:13)

• Pray that Christ will return soon (Jn. 14:3; Rev. 22:20)

May God’s promises increasingly instruct and occupy our prayer life. Only then can we know with certainty that we are praying according to His will, and that He will answer our prayers (Jn. 14:13, 15:7; 1 Jn. 5:14).