#DailyDevotion Can Christians Pray This? It Doesn’t Sound Very Nice.
Psalm 94 God of vengeance; O LORD, God of vengeance, shine! 2Rise, Judge of the world, give the proud what they deserve. 3How long, O LORD, how long will the wicked rejoice? 4Gushing and talking boldly, all who do wrong brag about themselves. 5They trample on Your people, O LORD, and make Your own suffer. 6They kill the widow and the stranger and murder orphans, 7saying, “The LORD doesn’t see it; Jacob’s God doesn’t even notice it.”
Gee Psalmist, that doesn’t sound very Christian. Jesus, however, prayed this prayer too. We can pray this prayer. It is asking God to do what He said He would do. God is patient and long-suffering with the wicked, not wanting any to perish but wanting all to repent and inherit eternal life. But there is coming a day of judgment upon the earth. The day is set. God’s people since the beginning of creation have been calling mankind to repent. Israel was called to call the nations to repent. John the Baptist and Jesus have called the world to repent. Jesus commissioned the Church to call the world to repent and be saved. We have warned the world, turn from your wicked ways and trust in Jesus to escape the terrible day of the LORD. They think we are unloving and unchristian doing that.
God, the LORD, is a God of vengeance. This isn’t just for the Old Testament. God has shown His love for us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Those who refuse this love and go and do all their wicked hearts want to do will eventually experience God’s wrath since they despised God’s love. So the Church joins with Jesus in praying this Psalm. We too cry out with the martyrs under the alter, “How long will the wicked rejoice?” The wicked of the world, we have seen them exposed and become all the more bolder against Christians, at least here in the United States, taking pride in their sin and parading it before the world. They have caused much suffering among Christians here. Other wicked people have caused the LORD’s people to suffer in other parts of the world. All the wicked, no matter their peculiar sin, sin and think the LORD doesn’t see it or notice because the LORD is being patient with them. But God’s judgment will fall upon them one day, quickly and swiftly. Even in the midst of that, they will not repent but curse God.
8You mindless ones among the people, understand; you fools, when will you get wise? 9He planted the ear — can’t He hear? He formed the eye — can’t He see? 10He disciplines nations — can’t He correct? He teaches people — doesn’t He know? 11The LORD knows that what man thinks is nothing.
Well that doesn’t sound very nice or winsome either, psalmist. Where do you get off calling these people mindless and fools? (I ask this sarcastically) Can you believe some Christians actually respond like this. It’s like they never have read the bible or they just skip all the parts they don’t like. We as Christians are to call the mindless and foolish people of the world to understand. We are called to be faithful to Jesus and call the people of the world, the people we meet who are sinning, to turn from their sin and to turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and a new life in Christ. God had created them with ears to hear and eyes to see. Yet, they are too blind to truly recognize the acts of God in the world which are calling them to repentance. As it is written in Revelation 19:9 “When they were badly burned, they blasphemed the name of God, Who controlled these plagues, and they did not repent to give Him glory.” And again, Rev. 16:11 “People gnawed their tongues in anguish, llcursed the God of heaven for their pains and their sores but did not repent of what they had done.”
The LORD has taught the nations through the Church to correct and discipline the nations. He knows what man thinks is nothing. What He thinks is all that matters. Conform your mind to Christ and how He thinks, turn from sin and turn to Him and live.
Heavenly Father, grant Your Church boldness to call the world to repentance so they may live and escape Your judgment. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.