In recent times, there are American politicians who pray publicly for bad things to happen to others, or worse for someone to die. Many others claiming to be Christians backed these prayers and supported those making the comments.
In Romans 12:19 the Bible indicates that people should trust in God to provide justice. They should not push for personal retaliation even when deeply wronged. It states “Do not take revenge…. It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.”
In Matthew 5:44 is the most common verse that comes up when such statements are made. It’s a verse that is extremely clear in its simplicity, “Love your enemy and pray for those that persecute you.”. It doesn’t get any clearer that this is clearly the opposite of asking for harm against someone.
The Biblical approach to prayer is focused on aligning us with God. Biblical prayer is about seeking a closer relationship with God. It is about patience, mercy, being slow to anger, and a desire for repentance rather than destruction. When people are bad, when they are dangerous, when they are abusive or harmful, then the Bible encourages to ask God to intervene, to pray for the person’s transformation and to pray for protection.
But What About the Old Testament
In Psalms there are several times when there is a call for God’s judgment on enemies. This includes Psalms 5:10 where God is asked to declare the wicked guilty and let their own schemes bring them down. Psalms 7 has a plea for God to rise in judgement and emphasis that the wicked often fall into the traps they set of others. Psalms 17 contains a request for God to confront and bring down violent oppressors. Psalms 28 asks God to repay evildoers for their deeds. Psalms 35 asks God to fight against those who fight the writer. Psalms 69 asks God to blot out the names of the wicked from the book of life. Psalms 79 is a lament asking God to pour out wrath on nations that have attacked Israel. Many other Psalms have similar statements.
But Jesus came to bring the new laws. This is where Matthew 5:44 comes into play as do verses like Matthew 5:39 where he states you should turn the other cheek. In 1 Timothy 2, Paul says believers should pray for all people including leaders so that we can flourish in peace. The theme is to support peace, goodness, and well-being, not hate and harm. In Colossians 4, we are told to devote ourselves to prayer with gratitude. This is something that would push towards cultivating goodness, thankfulness, and awareness of God and the works of Jesus. Finally, in Romans 12, while it is not explicit, the indication is that your words – which would include prayers, should bless others, not harm others. Nowhere in the Bible does it indicate that prayer should be used to harm someone or be used as a weapon.
It’s pretty clear: we should be praying for people, not against them.