Last night we began a new series asking the question of how we ought to pray for different groups or types of need. We kicked it off by asking how we should pray for the wicked.
“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”
Albert Einstein
Profiling the Wicked
First off, we need to identify the wicked. We need to profile them according to the Word. Security forces are routinely criticized for profiling certain ethnicities. Sometimes profiling does indicate an undercurrent of discrimination. But, most of the time, profiling relies on intelligence. When it comes to identifying the wicked, let the Word give the description.
In Psalm 10 David pours out his heart to God as he wrestles with the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the saints. Like us, he felt at times that God was distant.
How did he describe the wicked?
(10:2) The Wicked Oppress the Poor
The Old Testament often speaks of justice for the poor, fatherless, widows, and strangers. As much as God’s Word speaks of it, perhaps we ought to give it more attention. But one certain mark of the wicked is that they oppress the poor.
(10:2, 4, 5, 6) The Wicked are Proud
It may be that we could find pride at the root of many sins, perhaps all sin. It stands in defiance of God and demands to be heard. Pride raises my finite thoughts about the infinite wisdom of God. It persists in sin believing that God does not see or care that I rebel.
(10:7) The Wicked are Foul-Mouthed
“Let’s Go Brandon” – funny right. In recent years, cursing that once was frowned upon has made its way into everyday life. What once would have been roundly condemned in a politician has become thought of as a sign of strength and passion. Strong language shouldn’t mean the ability to use a four-letter word, but rather persuasive, thoughtful, edifying language.
But let’s not limit foul-mouthed to cursing alone. It can also mean lies, deceit, bitter criticism, innuendo, and cruel words.
(10:3) The Wicked are Greedy
Verse 3 says that they bless the covetous. They commend and encourage others to constantly want more. This is not an argument against aspiration to improve, or a virtuous ambition. Encouraging the covetous means stirring up discontent, it is the passion that drives materialism, it advocates increasing possessions regardless of the means or cost to others.
To the wicked, enough is never enough.
(10:8) The Wicked are Violent
In a day of violent uprisings on the streets of our cities, we need to be clear that violence, unless guided by carefully developed principles, is sin. What do I mean by carefully developed principles? The arguments for a just war make the difference between an unruly mob and a good cause. Some have compared the actions of Antifa and BLM to the war for America’s independence. Yet, in one you can see the criteria of a just war met, and in the other, it isn’t even close.
Almost always, violence is a mark of the wicked.
(10:4, 11, 13) The Wicked are Godless
The wicked do their utmost to ignore God, and when they cannot, they deceive themselves into believing that God doesn’t really know they sin, care, and if He does, then He won’t do anything about it.
Many other marks could be added to this list, but without a doubt, these are marks of the wicked. So, then, how ought we to pray for them?
Praying about the Wicked
We Pray for the Wicked to be Judged
One group of psalms in the Old Testament are referred to as Imprecatory Prayers. Some examples would be Psalms 5, 6, 35, 69, & 109.
They are prayers of lament and call out for justice upon evildoers. They call for God to judge the wicked. Imprecatory prayers are not a rallying call for vigilantes, but prayers for God to take action. Vengeance is not justice.
We see forms of this in the New Testament, too. In Galatians 1:8-9 Paul prays that those who preach another Gospel would be “accursed”. Then, in Revelation 6:10 martyred saints during the time of the tribulation cry out for God to mete out justice upon those who persecute believers still on the earth.
There is a peace that comes when we realize that although some may escape judgment in this life, they will not escape it in the next.
We may pursue justice through man’s legal systems, but even if they fail, God’s will not.
We Pray for the Wicked to be Converted
I see no contradiction in praying both for the judgment but also the conversion of the wicked. Jesus came to save the wicked. While some of us may APPEAR better than others, in the eyes of God we are all equally wicked.
Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). Paul expounds this truth that as terrible as we are, Jesus Christ still came to die for us (Romans 3:23; 5:8). Jesus did not save us because we were good and worth it, but saved us because we were wicked and needed to be saved.
The best way to defeat an enemy is to win them as a brother or sister in Christ.
There is a place for imprecatory prayers, but in the New Testament context, I believe there is a greater place for loving our enemies and seeking to win them (Matthew 5:44-48; Romans 12:14, 17-21).
We Pray for the Wicked to be Persuaded of Right, if Not Converted
There’s a saying that a broken clock is right twice a day. This can be taken as a positive or negative. There are some, especially in positions of authority and influence, that we may despair of ever coming to faith in Christ. We don’t give up on them, but while we wait for them to be saved, we can pray that they will still do the right thing.
They may not understand why they are doing right. They may not even know they are doing right. But we can pray that they would do right regardless.
The Law of Unintended consequences usually refers to something going wrong when we anticipated things to go right. But it can go the other way too.
When Queen Esther persuaded the king to let the Jewish people defend themselves he didn’t do right for the right reasons, and probably didn’t fully understand, yet he made a wise choice anyway.
We Pray for the Wicked to be Confounded, if not Persuaded
A lesser-known verse of “God Save the Queen” may actually be my favorite,
O Lord our God arise, Scatter her enemies, And make them fall: Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On Thee our hopes we fix: God save us all.
“God Save the Queen”
In 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Paul asked the saints to pray that the work of the Lord would not be hindered. He desired that obstacles be removed. We can and should pray that the evil work of the wicked would be confounded. We want be and see obstacles in the path of those with evil intent.
We Pray for the Victims of the Wicked
As we pray against the wicked and for the wicked, keep in mind the victims of the wicked. Do not just find yourself fighting against something, remember you also fight FOR something. Pray for the victims of the wicked that they would receive help, healing, and recovery.
We Pray for Ourselves to be Preserved
Paul warns that even as we help those who are overtaken in a fault, we ought to guard against falling ourselves (Galatians 6:1; 1 Corinthians 10:12).
There is a hatred of sin which is sin itself.
Some people take up causes and become consumed by them. They get on a mission against something and become consumed by the evil they sought to destroy. Nietzsche famously wrote,
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.
Even the psalmist found himself committing the same error. He begins by stating God seems far off and then describes the wicked as doing the same. For different reasons, both the wicked and the righteous here believe God is distant and doesn’t care. In verses 13-14, and 17 the Psalmist seems to see this and deliberately turns his mind to believing God does see, He does care, and He will bring justice.
Conclusion
I believe God’s Word gives us commands and principles to guide how we pray for the wicked. We can pray for them to be judged, but also pray for their conversion. Being saved for eternity does not negate consequences from man’s penal system, but it does deliver them from eternal punishment.
While we pray for them to be converted and wait, we can pray that they will be persuaded of right, that their wicked goals would be confounded, their victims helped, and ourselves preserved from their error.
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