This psalm makes modern Christians deeply uncomfortable. The writer wishes terrible things on his enemies in graphic detail. He calls down curses on them and their children. In our polite spirituality, we're taught to bless our enemies and love them, so this psalm feels like a betrayal.
But I think it's there for a reason. There are people who have truly wronged us, and our minds go to dark places. We imagine awful things happening to them. We wish they'd get what they deserve. The psalm says: bring that to God too. Don't pretend you don't feel it. Don't hide it.
What's interesting is that God never actually does any of these things to the enemies. The psalmist brings his rage to the throne room and then drops it there. It's not a prayer that changes circumstances. It's a prayer that changes the person praying. By bringing the darkness into the light, by naming what you really want but placing it at God's feet, you're no longer carrying it alone in your heart. That's a profound kind of healing, even if justice never arrives in this lifetime.
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