Psalm 79 Victory over evil and injustice, boldness in God's people

God of Triumph and Victory,

We praise you for your power, mercy and grace in the lives of your children and in this nation.  We praise you for the ways in which you are triumphing over the power of wickedness and evil in our midst.  We stand in faith awaiting you to pour out your anger and judgment on evil. Barbarians have tried to invade this nation with their wicked ideas and even outright violence.  Other ideologies and nations scorn, scoff, and mock your people - your Church in this nation - consuming this land's resources, public discourse, and hope, leaving it seemingly desolate.  

We confess our nation's sins, but beg for your forgiveness; may your tenderhearted mercy come to us in our desperation.  We pray for holiness in our nation. We pray for dominions of darkness and despair to continue to weaken.   We pray for full exposure, even this week, for darkness in this nation to come into the Light.  We pray for JUSTICE, JUSTICE, JUSTICE. Show your people and all the world that you will avenge these evil attacks! Father, forgive us for living in such a way that we have pretended like you are the only one with responsibility to reform our culture and bring revival. O God of the breakthrough, for the glory of your name, come and help us! Forgive and restore us; heal us and cover us in your love. Give your people new hearts and put a new spirit within us; remove from us our hearts of stone and give us hearts full of your Love, your Justice, and your Mercy so we can use your Holy Boldness to push back the momentum of evil in this day and age. Demonstrate your glory-power, and come and rescue your condemned children. Lord God, take what these mocking masses have done to us and pay it all back to them seven times over. You are our King Jesus, who commands victories for your Church.  Through your Name we trample down those who rise up against us and push back our adversaries.  In this season of our nation's life, we pray in Jesus's name that you would break the power of the wicked and uphold your righteous children.  God, you are our King!  You decree victories for us!  Through you we will be victorious!  In the powerful name of Christ Jesus we pray, Amen!

1 God, won’t you do something?

    Barbarians have invaded your inheritance.

    Your temple of holiness has been violated,

    and Jerusalem has been left in ruins.

2 The corpses of your loving people are lying in the open—

    food for the beasts and the birds.

3 The shed blood of your servants has soaked the city,

    with no one left to bury the dead.

4 Now the nearby nations heap their scorn upon us,

    scoffing, mocking us incessantly.

5 How much longer, O Yahweh, must we endure this?

    Does your anger have no end?

    Will your jealousy burn like a raging fire?

6 If you’re going to pour out your anger,

    pour it out on all these nations around us, not on us!

    They’re the ones who do not love you like we do!

7 See how they’ve attacked us, consuming the land,

    leaving it desolate.

8 Please, God, don’t hold the sins of our fathers against us.

    Don’t make us pay for their sins.

    Hurry to our side, and let your tenderhearted mercy

    meet us in our need, for we are devastated beyond belief.

9 Our hero, come and rescue us!

    O God of the breakthrough, for the glory of your name,

    come and help us!

    Forgive and restore us; heal us and cover us in your love.

10 Why should all the nations sneer at us, saying,

    “Where is this God of yours?”

    Now is the time, Lord.

    Show your people and all the world that

    you will avenge this slaughter and bloodshed once and for all!

11 Listen, Lord! Hear the sighing of all the prisoners of war,

    all those doomed to die. Demonstrate your glory-power,

    and come and rescue your condemned children!

12 Lord God, take what these mocking masses have done to us

    and pay it all back to them seven times over.

13 Then we, your devoted lovers, will forever thank you,

    praising your name from generation to generation! (Psalm 79 TPT)

You are my King, God;
Command victories for Jacob.
5 Through You we will push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. (Psalm 44:4-5 NASB)

 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26 NIV)

The power of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous. (Psalm 37:17 NIV)

1 O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;

    they have defiled your holy temple,

    they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

2 They have left the dead bodies of your servants

    as food for the birds of the sky,

    the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.

3 They have poured out blood like water

    all around Jerusalem,

    and there is no one to bury the dead.

4 We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,

    of scorn and derision to those around us.

5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?

    How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

6 Pour out your wrath on the nations

    that do not acknowledge you,

on the kingdoms

    that do not call on your name;

7 for they have devoured Jacob

    and devastated his homeland.

8 Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;

    may your mercy come quickly to meet us,

    for we are in desperate need.

9 Help us, God our Savior,

    for the glory of your name;

deliver us and forgive our sins

    for your name’s sake.

10 Why should the nations say,

    “Where is their God?”

Before our eyes, make known among the nations

    that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.

11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;

    with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.

12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times

    the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.

13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,

    will praise you forever;

from generation to generation

    we will proclaim your praise.  (Psalm 79 NIV)

Psalm 76 - A prayer for God's judgement and justice on wicked rulers

Awe-Inspiring God,

You are renowned from the East to the West, from the North to the South.  Yours is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor.  For everything in heaven and earth is yours, Lord.  Yours is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. God, you are so resplendent and radiant! Your majesty shines from your everlasting mountain and nothing could be compared to you in glory!  Even the mightiest of men have been paralyzed by your presence. They were so stunned and lifeless, not even the strongest one could lift a hand.  It is you alone who are to be feared.  Who can stand before you when you are angry?  You smash every weapon of war that comes against you.  From heaven you pronounce judgment, and the land fears and is quiet—when you, God, rise up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. You have power to transform mankind’s futile anger into praise. The fury of your enemies only causes your fame to increase.  God, in this hour we pray you will break the spirit of evil rulers; break the power of the wicked.  Cause them to fear you as the Lord and King over all the earth.  Let them fall to their knees, holding their breath, as you thunder judgement upon their iniquities.  May your judgement and wrath against people who oppose or pervert your will and ways be seen upon the earth.  May those who speak rashly and promote evil come to ruin.  May repentant hearts turn from their wickedness and into restraint.  May those who guard their lips - who speak only of your Goodness, Truth, and Beauty - preserve their lives.  May all the peoples of this world know you as the Awesome One of Justice and Might.  In Christ's name we pray, Amen!

1 God is well known in the land of Judah.

    He is famous throughout Israel,

2 making his home in Jerusalem, living here on Mount Zion.

3 That’s where he smashes every weapon of war

    that comes against him.

    That’s where he uses the broken arrows

    as kindling for his mighty bonfire.

Pause in his presence

4 God, you are so resplendent and radiant!

    Your majesty shines from your everlasting mountain.

    Nothing could be compared to you in glory!

5 Even the mightiest of men have been paralyzed by your presence.

    They were so stunned and lifeless,

    not even the strongest one could lift a hand.

6 When Jacob’s God roared his rebuke,

    soldiers and their steeds all fell to the ground,

    stunned and lying still.

7 No wonder you are greatly feared! You are the awe-inspiring God!

    For who could ever stand before your face

    when your fierce anger burns and live to tell about it.

8 As the earth itself holds its breath in awe before you,

    judgment is decreed from heaven.

9 You arise to punish evil and defend the gentle upon the earth.

Pause in his presence

10 You have power to transform man’s futile anger into praise.

    The fury of your enemies only causes your fame to increase.

11 So you’d better keep every promise you’ve ever made

    to the Awesome One, Yahweh!

    Let all people bring their extravagant gifts to him alone.

12 He is famous for breaking the spirit of the powers that be.

    And the kings of the earth will know him as the Fearsome One! (Psalm 76 TPT)

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. (1 Chronicles 29:11, NIV)

Fierce you are, and fearsome!

    Who can stand up to your rising anger?

From heaven you thunder judgment;

    earth falls to her knees and holds her breath. (Psalm 76:7-8 MSG)

1 God is renowned in Judah;

    in Israel his name is great.

2 His tent is in Salem,

    his dwelling place in Zion.

3 There he broke the flashing arrows,

    the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.

4 You are radiant with light,

    more majestic than mountains rich with game.

5 The valiant lie plundered,

    they sleep their last sleep;
not one of the warriors
    can lift his hands.

6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob,

    both horse and chariot lie still.

7 It is you alone who are to be feared.

    Who can stand before you when you are angry?

8 From heaven you pronounced judgment,

    and the land feared and was quiet—

9 when you, God, rose up to judge,

    to save all the afflicted of the land.

10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,

    and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.

11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;

    let all the neighboring lands
    bring gifts to the One to be feared.

12 He breaks the spirit of rulers;

    he is feared by the kings of the earth. (Psalm 76 NIV)

"Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin." 

(Proverbs 13:3 NIV)

"The power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous."  (Psalm 37:17 NIV)

Break the Power of the Wicked and Uphold the Righteous

Righteous God,

You are our salvation and stronghold, our deliverer and refuge.  Today we pray that you will break the power of the wicked around us.  Destroy wrongdoers and their ideological offspring; destroy the future of sinners and the corrupt.  Uphold the righteous by your merciful hand and do not forsake your faithful ones.  We pray in the powerful name of Christ, Amen!

"Do not fret because of those who are evil

    or be envious of those who do wrong;

for like the grass they will soon wither,

    like green plants they will soon die away.

    for those who are evil will be destroyed,

    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

The wicked plot against the righteous

    and gnash their teeth at them;

but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

    for he knows their day is coming.   

The wicked draw the sword

    and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

    to slay those whose ways are upright.

But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

    and their bows will be broken.

The power of the wicked will be broken,

    but the Lord upholds the righteous.

the wicked will perish:

    They will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;

    the offspring of the wicked will perish.

The Lord will not leave [the righteous] in the power of the wicked.

Sinners will be destroyed;

    there will be no future for the wicked.

"The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;

    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The Lord helps them and delivers them;

    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

    because they take refuge in him.

Turn from evil and do good;

    then you will dwell in the land forever.

For the Lord loves the just

    and will not forsake his faithful ones.

The righteous will inherit the land

    and dwell in it forever.

Hope in the Lord

    and keep his way.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

    a future awaits those who seek peace.

The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,

    and their inheritance will endure forever.

In times of disaster they will not wither;

    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

The Lord makes firm the steps

    of the one who delights in him;

though he may stumble, he will not fall,

    for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

I was young and now I am old,

    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

    or their children begging bread.

"Trust in the Lord and do good;

    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

    trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

    your vindication like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord

    and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

The power of the wicked will be broken,

    but the Lord upholds the righteous."

(adapted from Psalm 37 NIV)

March 11, 2021 Prayer - Psalm 73 - Encouragement in the face of wickedness

God of Justice,

Thank you for your goodness and mercy to those who seek you and whose hearts are pure before you.  Thank you that when we see the wickedness in this world, we can be reminded that you are God.  You do not sleep or grow tired or weary; you do not leave or forsake those you have called as children.   Lord God Almighty, sometimes it seems that the arrogant, wicked, prideful, and malicious of this world have no problems. Their evil imaginations have no limits and they seem free from common human burdens.  Yet, surely, you place them on slippery ground where they can easily be swept away and destroyed by terrors of your true justice.  Sometimes in this world we become grieved or embittered as we watch the apparent success of the ungodly.  Yet, your word says that those who are far from you - who are unfaithful to you - will perish.  You promise that the power of the wicked will be broken, but you uphold the righteous. You, God of Truth, guide us with your counsel.  You, God of Justice, encourage us with your Justice.  We have nothing in heaven or on earth that is as valuable as you are, Lord.  Our flesh and heart may fail, but you are our strength and our portion forever.  It is good to be near you, our Sovereign Lord and Refuge.  Guard us and guide us, we pray in Jesus's name.  Amen.

"Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121:4 NIV) 

"Do you not know?

    Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

    and his understanding no one can fathom." (Isaiah 40:28 NIV)

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV)

"When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." (Proverbs 21:15 NIV)

"The power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous." (Psalm 37:17 NIV)

1

"Surely God is good to Israel,

    to those who are pure in heart.

2 

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;

    I had nearly lost my foothold.

3 

For I envied the arrogant

    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 

They have no struggles;

    their bodies are healthy and strong.

5 

They are free from common human burdens;

    they are not plagued by human ills.

6 

Therefore pride is their necklace;

    they clothe themselves with violence.

7 

From their callous hearts comes iniquity;

    their evil imaginations have no limits.

8 

They scoff, and speak with malice;

    with arrogance they threaten oppression.

9 

Their mouths lay claim to heaven,

    and their tongues take possession of the earth.

10 

Therefore their people turn to them

    and drink up waters in abundance.

11 

They say, “How would God know?

    Does the Most High know anything?”

12 

This is what the wicked are like—

    always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

13 

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure

    and have washed my hands in innocence.

14 

All day long I have been afflicted,

    and every morning brings new punishments.

15 

If I had spoken out like that,

    I would have betrayed your children.

16 

When I tried to understand all this,

    it troubled me deeply

17 

till I entered the sanctuary of God;

    then I understood their final destiny.

18 

Surely you place them on slippery ground;

    you cast them down to ruin.

19 

How suddenly are they destroyed,

    completely swept away by terrors!

20 

They are like a dream when one awakes;

    when you arise, Lord,

    you will despise them as fantasies.

21 

When my heart was grieved

    and my spirit embittered,

22 

I was senseless and ignorant;

    I was a brute beast before you.

23 

Yet I am always with you;

    you hold me by my right hand.

24 

You guide me with your counsel,

    and afterward you will take me into glory.

25 

Whom have I in heaven but you?

    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 

My flesh and my heart may fail,

    but God is the strength of my heart

    and my portion forever.

27 

Those who are far from you will perish;

    you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28 

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

    I will tell of all your deeds." (Psalm 73 NIV)

March 2, 2021 Prayer - Destroy the wicked, encourage the righteous

Lord God Almighty,

You are righteousness, as sure as the dawning of a new day.  You are justice, as sure and strong as the noonday sun.  You are the God who takes vengeance on your enemies.  It’s obvious that you will have nothing to do with corrupt rulers who pass laws that empower evil and defeat what is right.  We ask that their evil plans will boomerang back onto them, that every plot they hatch will seal their own doom.  Let your rays of revelation-light shine from your people and pierce the conscience of the wicked.  Punish the wicked and proud with the penalty they deserve.  They brag among themselves about the crimes they've committed against your people; they crush and cruelly oppose those who love you and belong to you. Heartlessly they murder infants in the womb, elderly in nursing homes, dreams of small business owners, mental health of struggling people, healing of addicted ones, educations and futures of younger generations, financial stability of our nation, people's connections with friends and relatives, and people's hope and confidence in living a peaceful, fear-free, joyful life.  But your eyes see all this evil!  You see the way the corrupt, evil, and wicked have hurt your children and you will surely punish this evil.  Turn all their weapons of wickedness back on themselves, piercing their pride-filled hearts until they are the helpless. You, God, will destroy them, giving them what they deserve. You are our true tower of strength, our safe place, shelter, and hideout.  You will never walk away from your cherished ones, nor will you forsake your chosen ones because we belong to you; you are our righteousness.  May the steps of we, the God-pursuing ones, follow firmly in the footsteps of the Lord, and may you delight in us as we seek to follow you.  Help us to be patient for you to act at the right time. Help us to trust that every promise and inheritance will come to us and the wicked will lose everything.  May we trust in the Lord and do what is right in your eyes, fixing our hearts on the promises of God and feasting on your faithfulness.   In Jesus's name we pray, Amen. 

Lord God Almighty, you are the God

who takes vengeance on your enemies.

It’s time for you to punish evil!

Let your rays of revelation-light shine from your people and

pierce the conscience of the wicked and punish them.

2 

It’s time to arise as judge of all the earth;

arise to punish the proud with the penalty they deserve!

3 

How much longer will you sit back and watch the wicked

triumph in their evil, boasting in all that is wrong?

4–5 

Listen to them bragging among themselves,

big in their own eyes, all because of the crimes

they’ve committed against your people!

See how they’re crushing those who love you, God,

cruelly oppressing those who belong to you.

6 

Heartlessly they murder the widows, the foreigners,

and even the orphaned children.

7 

They say to themselves, “The Lord God doesn’t see this.

Their God, the God of Jacob, he doesn’t even care!”

8 

But you’d better watch out, you stupid fools!

You’d better wise up! Why would you act like God doesn’t exist?

Do you really think that God can’t hear their cries?

9 

God isn’t hard of hearing; he’ll hear all their cries.

God isn’t blind. He who made the eye has superb vision

and he’s watching all you do.

10 

Won’t the God who knows all things know what you’ve done?

The God who punishes nations will surely punish you!

11 

The Lord has fully examined every thought of man

and found them all to be empty and futile.

12 

Lord Yah, there’s such a blessing that comes

when you teach us your word and your ways.

Even the sting of your correction can be sweet.

13 

It rescues us from our days of trouble

until you are ready to punish the wicked.

14 

For the Lord will never walk away from his cherished ones,

nor would he forsake his chosen ones who belong to him.

15 

Whenever you pronounce judgments, they reveal righteousness.

All your lovers will be pleased.

16 

Lord, who will protect me from these wicked ones?

If you don’t stand to defend me, who will? I have no one but you!

17 

I would have been killed so many times

if you had not been there for me.

18 

When I screamed out, “Lord, I’m doomed!”

your fiery love was stirred and you raced to my rescue.

19 

Whenever my busy thoughts were out of control,

the soothing comfort of your presence

calmed me down and overwhelmed me with delight.

20 

It’s obvious to all; you will have nothing to do

with corrupt rulers who pass laws that empower evil

and defeat what is right.

21 

For they gang up against the lovers of righteousness

and condemn the innocent to death.

22–23 

But I know that all their evil plans will boomerang back onto them.

Every plot they hatch will simply seal their own doom.

For you, my God, you will destroy them,

giving them what they deserve.

For you are my true tower of strength,

my safe place, my hideout, and my true shelter. (Psalm 94 TPT)

Don’t follow after the wicked ones or be jealous of their wealth.

Don’t think for a moment they’re better off than you.

2 

They and their short-lived success

will soon shrivel up and quickly fade away

like grass clippings in the hot sun.

3 

Keep trusting in the Lord and do what is right in his eyes.

Fix your heart on the promises of God and you will be secure,

feasting on his faithfulness.

4 

Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life,

and he will provide for you what you desire the most.

5 

Give God the right to direct your life,

and as you trust him along the way

you’ll find he pulled it off perfectly!

6 

He will appear as your righteousness,

as sure as the dawning of a new day.

He will manifest as your justice,

as sure and strong as the noonday sun.

7 

Quiet your heart in his presence and pray;

keep hope alive as you long for God to come through for you.

And don’t think for a moment that the wicked in their prosperity

are better off than you.

8 

Stay away from anger and revenge.

Keep envy far from you, for it only leads you into lies.

9 

For one day the wicked will be destroyed,

but those who trust in the Lord

will live safe and sound with blessings overflowing.

10 

Just a little while longer and the ungodly will vanish;

you will look for them in vain.

11 

But the humble of heart will inherit every promise

and enjoy abundant peace.

12 

Let the wicked keep plotting against the godly

with all their sneers and arrogant jeers.

13 

God doesn’t lose any sleep over them

and he knows their day is coming!

14 

Evil ones take aim on the poor and helpless;

they are ready to slaughter those who do right.

15 

But the Lord will

turn all their weapons of wickedness back on themselves,

piercing their pride-filled hearts until they are the helpless.

16 

It is much better to have little

combined with much of God

than to have the fabulous wealth of the wicked and nothing else.

17 

For the Lord takes care of all his forgiven ones

while the strength of the evil will surely slip away.

18 

Day by day the Lord watches the good deeds of the godly

and he prepares for them his forever-reward.

19 

Even in a time of disaster he will watch over them,

and they will always have more than enough

no matter what happens.

20 

All the enemies of God will perish.

For the wicked have only a momentary value, a fading glory.

Then one day they vanish! Here today, gone tomorrow.

21 

They break their promises, borrowing money

but never paying it back.

The good man returns what he owes with some extra besides.

22 

The Lord’s blessed ones receive it all in the end,

but the cursed ones will be cut off

with nothing to show for themselves.

23 

The steps of the God-pursuing ones

follow firmly in the footsteps of the Lord,

and God delights in every step they take to follow him.

24 

If they stumble badly they will still survive,

for the Lord lifts them up with his hands.

25 

I was once young, but now I’m old.

Not once have I found a lover of God forsaken by him,

nor have any of their children gone hungry.

26 

Instead, I’ve found the godly ones

to be the generous ones who give freely to others.

Their children are blessed and become a blessing.

27 

If you truly want to dwell forever in God’s presence,

forsake evil and do what is right in his eyes.

28 

The Lord loves it when he sees us walking in his justice.

He will never desert his devoted lovers;

they will be kept forever in his faithful care.

But the descendants of the wicked will be banished.

29 

The faithful lovers of God will inherit the earth

and enjoy every promise of God’s care,

dwelling in peace forever.

30 

God-lovers make the best counselors.

Their words possess wisdom and are right and trustworthy.

31 

The ways of God are in their hearts

and they won’t swerve from the paths of steadfast righteousness.

32 

Evil ones spy on the godly ones, stalking them

to find something they could use to accuse them.

They’re out for the kill!

33 

But God will foil all their plots.

The godly will not stand condemned when brought to trial.

34 

So don’t be impatient for the Lord to act;

keep moving forward steadily in his ways,

and he will exalt you at the right time.

And when he does, you will possess every promise,

including your full inheritance.

You’ll watch with your own eyes

and see the wicked lose everything.

35 

I’ve already seen this happen.

Once I saw a wicked and violent man

overpower all who were around him,

a domineering tyrant with his pride and oppressive ways.

36 

Then he died and was forgotten.

Now no one cares that he is gone forever.

37 

But you can tell who are the blameless and spiritually mature.

What a different story with them!

The godly ones will have a peaceful, prosperous future

with a happy ending.

38 

Every evil sinner will be destroyed, obliterated.

They’ll be utter failures with no future!

39 

But the Lord will be the Savior of all who love him.

Even in their time of trouble God will live in them as strength.

40 

Because of their faith in him, their daily portion will be

a Father’s help and deliverance from evil.

This is true for all who turn to hide themselves in him!  (Psalm 37 TPT)