Lament and Imprecation

The picture to the left is one of the "Red Light" district of Bangkok. There is a tangible, clinging sense of evil in that place. Three of the four times I've been to Bangkok I've prayer-walked through this area with other Christians, begging God to rescue, to heal, and to bring justice.

Lately I've been working through an RTS Virtual course, "Poets", which deals with the poetry and wisdom literature of the Old Testament (particularly Psalms, Lamentations, SOS, Proverbs, and Job). One of the most fascinating and relevant parts of this class has been the lectures on the Psalms of lament and imprecation...in other words, the Psalms that are full of pain (lament) and the Psalms that call down the covenant curses of Yahweh on the enemies of Israel (Imprecation).

These are not always easy Psalms to interpret, especially for comfortable, coddled Americans who see very little injustice and suffering. But as I've watched my truly amazing wife deal with really, really horrible stuff as she helps bear the burden of her clients in a counseling context, as I read the posts and emails of my teammates in Thailand who are entering into severely broken lives, and as I've reflected on my own experiences similar to these, I've really come to love these passages of Scripture. Of course, its not always cheerful to read these Psalms...but there is a comfort in knowing that we can take really hard stuff to our Father. There is something...solid...about saying, "I don't know why things are like this, but I know that You (God) are good and holy and just", in a prayer of lament for the brokenness that we all live in. The Psalms of Imprecation, likewise, are a way of saying, "Your kingdom come...", in a world that is raging against the kingdom of God.

So...we can and should lament at the evil of the exploitation of the poor, of the weak, of the defenseless. We can and should lament at the brokenness and horror that exists in places all around the world (like the picture above). Also, we can and should pray for God's swift and severe justice upon evil.