Guides
Praying honestly mid-fight
Praying honestly is hard when you are drafting motions against the person named in the prayer. Mark Vroegop's four-movement pattern from the lament psalms gives you the words.
- Turn to God rather than away. That is the defining choice of lament. Even “How long, O LORD?” (Psalm 13:1) is faith, because it is addressed to Him.
- Complain to Him plainly. Name the wrong without cosmetic politeness. The psalmists accuse, protest, and describe injustice in detail. You can tell God exactly what happened with the exhibits, the exchange, and the filing. Scripture makes room for that kind of prayer.
- Ask boldly for God to act. Ask that the truth surface, that the judge see clearly, that the children be protected, and that the other party repent.
- Trust God before anything is settled. “But I have trusted in your steadfast love” (Psalm 13:5). The psalmist says that while the trouble is still going on.
“Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me.” Psalm 35:1
A word on the imprecatory psalms (35, 55, 69, 109). If you are mid-litigation, you may find your own feelings already written there, sometimes shockingly. Don't hide from these psalms. Don't use them as ammunition either. The psalmist hands his demand for judgment to God so that he does not carry it out himself. You can pray Psalm 35 about the other side in the morning and write a scrupulously fair letter that afternoon. Give God your anger, and keep it out of your filings.