Praying Psalm 109 is not considered inherently wrong, as it is part of inspired Scripture and models taking raw, honest emotions—including anger and a desire for justice—to God. As an imprecatory psalm (a prayer for judgment on enemies), it is often used to cry out for divine justice against severe wrongdoing, rather than personal vengeance.
These psalms express the desire for God's vengeance to fall on his (and his people's) enemies. They're explicit, bold, and highly controversial in their use of actual curses. Instead of praying for the good of his enemies, one will find the author praying for God to curse his enemies.
But Psalm 109 is there for us to read. Psalms like these are labelled 'impracatory psalms' – a word we don't use a whole lot. They reflect a desire to invoke judgment, calamity, or curses upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God.
To pray the imprecatory psalms is ultimately to pray as Jesus taught us to pray. As Christians, we long for God's kingdom to come. We yearn for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Praying the imprecatory psalms is not a call to arms but a call to faith.
So, yes, believers may pray for severe temporal judgments upon the enemies of God. But they must leave it to God for the outworking of such petitions. Finally, the Christian can use the imprecatory psalms to pray against those things that hinder the advancement of God's kingdom in this world.
Psalm 109. This is a psalm of vengeance and anger for when you or someone you love has been grievously wronged or for the time when it looks like the wicked are going to get away with it.
For protection from evil, Psalm 91 is widely considered the most powerful, offering refuge in God's shadow, protection from harm, and angelic guardianship; other strong choices include Psalm 27, for God's presence in trouble; Psalm 121, for God as a divine shield; and Psalm 140, a plea for rescue from wicked people, according to Alabaster and Bible.com.
Psalm 109 is harsh. It is the song of a king who vows to recompense those who walk over others and persecute the poor, who disregard God and disrespect their neighbors. We are tempered by grace from acting harshly. We are called by Jesus to absorb and resist injustice at the same time.
It is attributed to King David and noted for containing some of the most severe curses in the Bible, such as verses 12 and 13. It has traditionally been called the "Judas Psalm" or "Iscariot Psalm" for an interpretation relating verse 8 to Judas Iscariot's punishment as noted in the New Testament.
Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me. Deliver me from evildoers and save me from those who are after my blood. See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.
Overall, I believe the book of Psalms is the best place in Scripture from which to pray Scripture. In part, that's because Psalms is the only book of the Bible inspired by God for the expressed purpose of being reflected to God. God inspired them as songs, songs for use in both individual and corporate worship.
Psalm 109 is a lament by David, expressing deep distress over false accusations and betrayal, where he cries out to God for help, asking for justice against his deceitful enemies, and then transitions into praise, trusting God to deliver him from their evil despite his suffering. It contains intense curses against his foes, asking for their ruin, alongside prayers for God's mercy and vindication of His name, ending with David's commitment to praise God publicly.
The short answer is yes, we can pray that way. It's part of God's word in the psalms that teaches us how to pray, and we can pray that way.
Psalm 109, the angry psalm, is basically praying what the widow said to the judge, and what Jesus urged us to pray and not give up. “God, I want your justice against my enemy, I want you to repay my enemies for what they did to me.” One more NT prayer against enemies: Revelation 6.
The first biblical response when we encounter evil is to speak honestly to God about that evil. The second response we can have is to ask God to intervene. The third biblical response to evil is to trust God to define and carry out His pure justice.
Psalm 109:14-15 should not be understood as a prayer for removing all possibility of repentance and forgiveness for David's enemy and the enemy's family. Rather, David is asking that God not forget what they did to him so as to ensure their punishment.
Psalm 109 is a powerful reminder of the human condition and the importance of turning to God in all situations. It teaches us to be honest in our prayers, rely on God for justice, and trust His love to sustain us.
The way Jesus taught us to pray is the perfect model to follow for our own prayer time.
There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers. –Proverbs 6:16-19.
The Confession provided the rationale for the exclusion: 'The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture, and therefore are of no authority in the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings' (1.3).
Major imprecatory Psalms include Psalm 69 and Psalm 109, while Psalms 5, 6, 10, 12, 35, 37, 40, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 79, 83, 94, 137, 139 and 143 are also considered imprecatory. As an example, Psalm 69:24 states toward God, "Pour out Your indignation on them, and let Your burning anger overtake them."