I'm trying something new, which I'm a little fearful of, but in all honesty, I have already seen some benefits - so what do I have to lose, right? I've been praying and writing some imprecation. I know, I know, you've already opened up another tab to search the word imprecation - I did the same when I first started learning about and praying through these psalms.
Imprecation, in its essence, means to call down curses.
It sounds more dramatic in theory than practice; you may even be picturing me screaming at the sky and shaking my fist. Truthfully, I haven't tried that yet, but I might find myself comfortable enough to do that one day. Mostly I've worked on praying and journaling some imprecations - which I am terrified someone might find - nonetheless, I'm taking the risk.
The obvious question I'm sure you're asking is, why? Why would anyone today practice expressing imprecation? And to what purpose? The raw answer is freedom, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
Imprecation is used in the Bible; you can see them, particularly in the Psalms (7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 109, and 137). They're what we might consider the dark prayers and poems in which David and other writers plead with God to dash their enemies against the rocks (paraphrase of Psalm 137:9).
In reality, reading these psalms can be quite shocking and may leave you wondering about God's purpose in including them in scripture. But it's important to recognize that God doesn't do anything by accident, which means we must make the time to learn and understand how these psalms were used by the writer, original reader and, of course, how we too can utilize them in our worship practices.
Psalm 137 is a good example of imprecation and can be a starting place for you; it says,
"By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks" (Psalm 137:1-9).
The author has endured the constant mockery of his enemies, not merely being captured and exiled to a foreign land, which would have been bad enough. But he is also being forced to endure the delight his captors take from his grief as they berate him to remember his beloved city over and over again, and each time feels like salt being poured into an open wound. And yet, we do not hear about his retaliation against them, lashing neither with his tongue nor his sword. Instead, he turns to God in his despair, praying for a similar cruel fate to come upon these enemies.
For the author, this was a plea for vengeance, which would have transitioned easily into a communal prayer for all those enduring exile. But this prayer was also one that could continue to be prayed throughout Israel's history as they fell under persecution from one empire after another.
But how should we use this prayer today? Should we continue to pray for God's vengeance to come against those who have caused Israel to suffer in the past? Is it a prayer that could resonate with our own struggle? Or maybe it's a prayer we could pray for those who continue to endure similar oppression and displacement? In short, yes, yes, and yes. These are three ways which we can continue to utilize this prayer, so let me show you what it looks like for me to use this in my practice of imprecation.
This plea in Psalm 137 does not seem far-fetched for my heart or mind to pray for myself or for others, especially for anyone who has been threatened, stifled, or silenced against lashing out. Our human instinct tends to lean towards vengeance in these situations, as we long to avenge our fallen loved ones, a beloved city, or take back power for ourselves in pursuit of restitution. Or we might use our words to cut our enemies down by shaming their deeds or insulting their legacy. But this tends to amplify the situation rather than bring about resolution, and it's not always possible.
When vengeance and retaliation are not an option, or when they haven't brought about the outcome we desire, then imprecation may be a way for our soul to find rest, respite, or freedom from the anger it harbors. Cursing those who have hurt us can be selfish and hurtful, but, as I have said in my other writings, our attitude in how we undertake spiritual practices matters. In my experience, cursing for cursing's sake doesn't offer my soul peace in the following hours, days, or weeks. Instead, I am aiming to use imprecation as an act of worship and actively surrender my fear, anger, pain, and grief fully to God. In doing this, I have begun to experience freedom from these emotions which seek to overwhelm me, and I'm hopeful it can do the same for you.
You might be asking if it is more hurtful to express these hateful thoughts and words, but in reality holding these emotions in does more damage to us emotionally and forces them to remain with us longer. In fact, licensed counselor and professor, Suzanne Degges-White wrote an article for Psychology Today explaining, "Holding onto grudges, anger, resentment, or revenge fantasies will never harm your target more than it will harm you. The only person affected by such negative feelings is the one holding onto them. In fact, the longer we hold onto these negative feelings, the greater the damage they can do to our psychological and physical well-being" (2021).
I believe one of the simplest schemes of the enemy is to trick us into burying our anger and pain deep within us by telling us that only bad things will come from voicing these emotions. And by making us afraid to engage with them, they have more time to fester within us, overwhelm our thoughts, and can effectively cause harm to ourselves. This is one of the reasons imprecation can be a powerful and freeing practice for you today; it allows you to get these thoughts and feelings out into the open and cast them out. But if you're still skeptical, here are a few ways that you can begin to explore imprecation...
1) Read and pray a psalm of imprecation. Start by experiencing some of what these authors were communicating to God and how they would have prayed these words (7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 109, and 137). And eventually you can work up to praying these words for others who are enduring unjust suffering and exile (ex. Ukrainian refugees).
2) Read or pray one of these psalms for yourself and insert the name of the person/people who hurt you. Acknowledge that you are still holding onto this pain and use this prayer to begin expressing your pain to God through someone else's words.
3) Write or pray your own imprecation. This means using your own words rather than those of a psalmist to express your emotions to God. If you are worried about someone finding these writings, you can burn the pages when you are done (this act can be therapeutic in and of itself).
Imprecation is the souls cry as it surrenders these hurtful thoughts and feelings over to God.
If you feel dirty practicing imprecation, you are not alone. It doesn't feel like this should be legal, right? Or you may be thinking about the verse from Jesus' teachings like Matthew 5:27-30 or 9:1-8, where it is implied that if you think about a sin, you've already committed it. Can I tell you something? Your brain has thought these cruel things even if you haven't said them out loud. Your mind has conjured up scenarios where you are vindicated and gone round and round trying to provide you with the happy ending you so desperately desire. The thoughts may already exist, so isn't it better to confess them to God and cast them out of your heart and mind?
Truthfully, freedom is the word that I feel best describes my experience with imprecation so far. I still exist in some difficult situations which are directly causing me pain, grief, and strife daily. Yet, I have been able to release myself from the constant state of spiraling by practicing imprecation. It feels like I can breathe again and that the vengeful thoughts which have kept me in chains are beginning to loosen. My hope is that by continuing to cast these thoughts away from myself, I will eventually be rid of them for good.
Lastly, I want to note that your prayers of imprecation won't necessarily bring these things about. God doesn't do something just because it's our will, and we ask Him to do it. We can call down curses all day, but our enemy might still win the lottery. God will bring about His plans and judgment as He wills, not as we will. What is powerful to witness is that the author's prayers from psalm 137 were, in fact, answered because they were already aligned with God's plans. We cannot change God; however, we may see those curses come to fruition if they are in His plans already, but this isn't the point of practicing imprecation. Our goal should be to surrender these feelings to God, believing His will is good whether we see vengeance rain down or not.
What do you think? Have you read some of these psalms and wondered why they are in scripture? Have you ever tried to pray imprecations, or are you up for the challenge? If so, I would love to hear how you progress in your practice so that I can be praying for you along the way. Let me know in the comments below because the conversation shouldn't stop here.
Shalom, Sarah
P.S. If you're struggling to see how imprecation could possibly be an act of worship, I want to encourage you to go back and read through my Worship in the Midst of Trials series for some helpful insights.
References:
Berković, D. (2016, April). Jesus and the psalms. KAIROS - Evangelical Journal of Theology, Vol. X(1), 41-62. https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/235971
Degges-White, S. (2021, November 10). The many problems holding a grudge can cause. Psychology Today. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/lifetime-connections/202111/the-many-problems-holding-grudge-can-cause
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