Usually I post my reflections in the order that they occur, however, today I'm going jump ahead and write about my thoughts from Thursday and this morning because they seem to flow with the time I'm in now. What time is this? The end of the 21 day fast! At a later time, I will reflect on the other things that were dropped in my heart this week.
Sometimes when the conclusion of something is close, it gets harder to stay focused and committed to your goal. (Remember school breaks for Christmas and summer? Those teachers could't tell you anything! You were almost free!) However, when it comes to seeking God for specific answers and praying for his perfect plan to prevail in our lives, it's at the conclusion that we need to be focused, pray more, and be reflective to hear God. It's at the conclusion that the enemy of our souls will want us to fail and feel like our efforts were ineffective. So let's pray and be specific.
A few days ago I read Psalm 109 and saw that King David was just as passionate about praying curses on his enemies as he was about lavishing praises on God. After getting to this point in the psalms, I shouldn't have been surprised. (Remember David's scary prayers?) Still, David's specific prayers against his enemies' children and future children took me aback. Look at his prayers:
Sometimes when the conclusion of something is close, it gets harder to stay focused and committed to your goal. (Remember school breaks for Christmas and summer? Those teachers could't tell you anything! You were almost free!) However, when it comes to seeking God for specific answers and praying for his perfect plan to prevail in our lives, it's at the conclusion that we need to be focused, pray more, and be reflective to hear God. It's at the conclusion that the enemy of our souls will want us to fail and feel like our efforts were ineffective. So let's pray and be specific.
A few days ago I read Psalm 109 and saw that King David was just as passionate about praying curses on his enemies as he was about lavishing praises on God. After getting to this point in the psalms, I shouldn't have been surprised. (Remember David's scary prayers?) Still, David's specific prayers against his enemies' children and future children took me aback. Look at his prayers:
- v. 10: "Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; let them seek their bread also from their desolate places."
- v. 12: "Let there be none to extend mercy to him, nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children."
- v. 13: "Let his posterity be cut off, and in the generation following let their name be blotted out."
- v. 15: "Let them be continually before the Lord, that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth."
My first thought is: How can this type of prayer be okay and Godly?
My second thought is: What hope is there for people living under the weight of these curses?
1. Are David's Prayers Godly?
When I thought about this question, I first looked at the character of David and his relationship with God. Paul quoted the prophet Samuel and said that David was "a man after My ["God's"] own heart, who will do all My will." Even with his mistakes, David was favored by God and through his lineage, we have Jesus. I next looked at what had provoked David to release such a damning prayer. Psalm 109:2-5 says that people slandered David - meaning they spoke lies that were measurably harmful to his reputation. (A crime that is punishable by law today.) These people repaid David's love for them with hate and fought against him. David had experienced hardship throughout his life and had become an expert at fleeing for his life. (This blogger did a good job summarizing some of David's hardships.) Looking at David's relationship to God and the real threats to his life, it becomes easier to understand why David was so ominous and I believe God answered his prayer.
2. What Hope is there for the "Innocent"?
So what hope is there for that cursed generation? The one answer is: Jesus. I read David's prayer in Psalm 109 and instead of thinking thoughts of justified vindication, I felt sad for the generations of people who are living under the weight of a curse. I wonder whether these are impoverished people or those suffering from family ailments, etc. I have no idea, but wonder if it is a big reason for the sufferings that people experience today.
Do you find yourself constantly struggling in one area or another even though you've exerted effort to change your circumstances? Do you feel like you are sowing seed but not reaping any fruit? As believers, it is important to think of the possibility that we could be living under a generational curse. This is even more true if you know the bad behaviors of your parents, grandparents, and ancestors, towards others. (See what Psalms 109:16-20 has as an example of bad behavior.)
It is important for all of us to ask Jesus to intercede on our behalf and put an end to those curses looming over our head. Here are scriptures about our freedom through Jesus.
- Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
- Colossians 1:21-22: "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight."
- John 8:36: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
- Galatians 5:1: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
One thing I've learned is that wherever there's a vacuum, there presents an opportunity for filling. This means, whenever you clean and empty out a space, by nature, something else takes its place. We have taken off the generational curses that were looming over our heads. Now, we must pray over ourselves generational blessings that will cover us and our progeny. Psalm 112:1-2 says, "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed." This psalm beautifully lays out a guide for prayer that calls out our identity in Christ, and the promises we want covering our children, grandchildren, and descendants.
- v. 3: Our identity- righteous; Promise- wealth and riches forever
- v. 4: Our identity- upright, righteous, gracious, compassionate; Promise- guided by light in dark times
- v. 5: Our identity- good; Promise- ability to be generous
- v. 6: Our identity- righteous; Promise- a lasting legacy
- v. 7: Our identity- trusting and rooted in God; Promise- no fear when evil curses are hurled our way
- v. 8: Our identity- trusting and rooted in God; Promise- our enemies will face justice
- v. 9: Our identity- righteous, honorable; Promise- ability to be generous and honor amongst our peers
- v. 10: Our identity- blessed; Promise- all wicked plans against us will fail
I love having these prayers to help close my fast so that it ends well and is effective. I hope these prayers are inspirational to you as well and you are encouraged to dig deeper and set the stage for your generational legacy.
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