Introduction

At the end of this blog there is a sample prayer for your enemies that is based on Psalm 129. This Psalm is about someone who has been afflicted since his youth. He has been savagely oppressed (Ps. 129:3). The oppressors are “wicked” and “hate Zion” (Ps. 129:4-5). These are the enemies of God’s people. And the Psalmist prays for the enemy in three ways.

First, he prays they would have no honor (Ps. 129:5)

He prays, “May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward!” He is asking that his enemies know the shame of defeat. The enemy has evil intentions, and the Psalmist hopes they fail in their evil plots, that the failure is known, and that their shameful character might be exposed.

Second, he prays they would be rootless (Ps. 129:6-7)

He prays, “Let them be like grass on the housetops.” The houses had dirt roofs where seeds might take root. The soil was shallow, so a harvest couldn’t be gathered. The reaper cannot fill his hand (vs. 7), that is, he’s not even able to gather up the dry grass in his arms. The Psalmist wants their plans to shrivel. He wants the evil to be so unsuccessful that in the end, there is nothing left of their schemes. The seeds of unrighteousness will not grow into fruitful plants. They will not be like trees by streams of water (Ps. 1:3) but like grass on a rooftop.

Third, he prays they would have no blessing (Ps. 129:8)

Verse 8, flowing from the failed harvest image in verse 7, says the enemies should not be blessed in their harvest. What’s this about? God’s blessing to his people flows from God’s covenant promises to Abraham (Gen. 12:3). To oppose God’s people is to oppose the people through which God fulfills his promise to Abraham. God’s rich blessing takes many forms, including during the time of the harvest. The reapers would go out into the field to gather the crops, and they would exchange the common harvest blessing. Ruth 2:4 contains the harvest blessing, “Boaz … said to the reapers, ‘The Lord be with you!’ And they answered, ‘The Lord bless you.’” But the Psalmist says in Psalm 129:8 that they will not receive the blessing of Abraham. The harvest blessing shall be denied to the wicked enemies of Zion.

Conclusion

Jesus commands, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 5:44f). How exactly should you pray for your enemies? There are a number of possibilities, depending on the particular enemy and situation. One of those possibilities is provided in Psalm 129. It is because the Psalmist believes God’s Word and character that he cries out against his enemies. You could follow the Psalmist's lead and pray a similar prayer for your enemies, which might look something like this:

“Heavenly Father, we pray for those who oppose Your ways and Your people. Cut the cords of the wicked. Let them taste the shame that comes from pursuing sin, that they might see the emptiness of rebellion against You. Strip away the illusion that godless living brings satisfaction. Let them feel the hollowness of life without You. Cause their plans built on selfish ambition to crumble and their schemes rooted in pride to wither. Let their endeavors that ignore Your truth bear no lasting fruit, that they might discover the futility of life without You. In their shame, emptiness, and failure, open their eyes to see their need for Christ. What we pray as judgment, transform by Your grace into the very means of their salvation. Draw them from the barren wilderness of godlessness into the abundant life found only in Your Son. We ask this for the sake of Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Jason Cherry is an elder at Trinity Reformed Church in Huntsville, Alabama, as well as a teacher and lecturer of literature, history, and economics at Providence Classical School in Huntsville. He graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary with an MA in Religion and is the author of the books The Culture of Conversionism and the History of the Altar Call and The Making of Evangelical Spirituality.