Can We Pray for God to Teach Someone a Lesson?

[@aletheamallory9674]

AMEN....Pray for and Bless our enemies and those who have purposely mistreated and abused us. I have actually prayed that those that have hurt me never have to endure the pain, suffering and hardships that I have had to endure. 👑🙋🏾👑✝️👑💝

[@rochellekesselring4865]

I needed to hear this. Thank you

[@kathysabo9703]

I had to go back and listen to this again to be sure I understood right. At Tiffany's work place there's the risk that people can get hurt or even killed because of negligence that her boss refuses to do something about. By all means pray, but I would also take practical action, same as I would shout out at a person that's about to get hit by a speeding car they don't see. First you save a life and hopefully also a soul. I don't know if some other authority could be contacted, after telling your boss that if he doesn't face the dangers and do something about it you are going to contact someone above him. Here in Italy so many people due all the time at their work places, not because there aren't rules, but because of neglicence, a slip up.

[@maxaplin4204]

John Piper raises the interesting question of how detailed we should get in our prayers. As he says, the Bible has examples of praying for several levels of secondary causes of things. Of course, it would be possible to get too detailed, when we would really be presuming to tell God exactly how He should answer. The more familiar we are with biblical prayers, the more we will get the balance right on this.

[@armontimuzic6785]

Pray for your enemies bless those who curse you !!! Pride cometh before fall anyways ! There punishment is god resisting them because of their pride !! Hallelujah I posted this before John even said the verse Holy Spirit said that to me too !

[@imago9059]

Proverbs 25:21-22 "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you".

[@TheCreepypro]

may we pray affectively to the glory of our Lord and may His lost sheep come back to Him!

[@PaulLee-rs8uw]

Philippians 4:4😊-7😊❤ ; John 14:27😊❤ and Romans 8:1😊❤-39 😊❤ in Christ❤. John 14:6😊❤ in Christ and Acts 16:31😊❤ in Christ.

[@PaulLee-rs8uw]

Exodus 15:14-18 "14 Now are the chief of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. 16 Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still a stone, till your people😊❤ pass by who you have purchased. 17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD😊❤, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O LORD😊❤, which your hands established. 18 The LORD( the Lord God😊❤) will reign😊❤ forever 😊❤ and ever😊❤."( Exodus 15:14-18 ESV Study Bible) John 14:6❤😊 " 6 Jesus answered, " I am the way ❤😊 and the truth ❤😊 and the life😊❤. No one comes to the Father( God😊100%❤ , our Father😊100%❤ in heaven ) except through me."( John 14:6😊❤ Zondervan NIV Study Bible.Amen in Christ and Ephesians 2:8( by grace😊❤) in Christ. Romans 8:28 "28 And we(😊❤'s) know that for those (😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤ 😊❤) who love❤ God (😊100%❤) all things😊❤ work😊❤ together😊❤ for good😊❤ , for those who are called😊❤ according😊❤ to his😊❤ purpose😊❤ ."( Romans 8:28 ESV Study Bible)

[@Shelly_Renee825]

Questioned answered right away!

[@sagetajr]

itsnpretty simple! pray for them that they get delivered pray for them for the goid. bring it up to God and let God be God and Jesus will take care of it. we can only do that! If we take justice into our own hands we are saying to God that we dont need Him and we push Him aside. so, God is Good vengeance is mine says The Lord!

[@trueoutlaw13]

What about all the prayers in the old testament asking God to destroy their enemies?

[@imago9059]

Proverbs 25:21-22 "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you".

[@trueoutlaw13]

@@imago9059 I understand there are plenty of verses saying to love your enemy, I'm not refuting that. I'm asking a genuine question. Was it permissible for David to pray for God to destroy his enemies, for example? Just quoting verses doesn't answer the question...

[@olindacruz1072]

When I pray with the Bible, I believe our enemy is satan, and I pray in this sense, but I’m whit you in this part, maybe David was praying against Saul or Absalon.

[@LiezlVN]

​@@trueoutlaw13same thought I have in mind

[@maxaplin4204]

Of course we should pray for people to be taught a lesson, when it is for the person's good and/or for the good of others. John Piper is right that Psalm 83:16 is exactly this sort of prayer. I often pray in this way when I am driving and I see someone driving dangerously. I pray that God teaches the bad driver a lesson in such a way that they stop driving dangerously. I don't presume to know exactly how God will answer the prayer, but the typical answer I might expect is the person crashing the car, writing it off, remaining uninjured, and then deciding to drive much better. But God could answer in many other ways too, of course.

[@JadDragon]

@@maxaplin4204 what sorts of things are you hoping might happen to the driver, exactly?

[@maxaplin4204]

@@JadDragon That he realises that he has been driving dangerously and decides to drive differently from now on.

[@JadDragon]

@@maxaplin4204 you said you hope God teaches them a lesson in such a way that they stop driving dangerously. I am now asking for some ideas of what specifically this could mean for you, please?

[@maxaplin4204]

@@JadDragon I gave an example in my first comment in this thread: that they crash while remaining uninjured and decide that from now on they will drive more carefully. But that is just an idea of what might happen. When I pray for God to teach a dangerous driver a lesson, I am leaving it up to God how exactly how He chooses to answer the prayer. I wouldn't want to trespass into the area of telling God exactly what to do.

[@JadDragon]

@@maxaplin4204 So you pray that someone suffers immensely? Financially, emotionally, psychologically, perhaps with work, in their personal lives etc, because you weren't happy with how they were driving? Is this right? Because unless you live in a bubble, you know that a car accident isn't small just because you aren't injured, especially if the car is a write off. So, any other suggestions for things you hope might happen to teach someone a lesson?

[@LiezlVN]

Revenge is of God, He will repay How about praying to God to avenge us?

[@cirr3587]

💝

[@JadDragon]

Can we? Sure. Should we? No. Jesus lives! ♥️ and is God 🙏🏻 Christ ✝️ and King 👑

[@maxaplin4204]

But why would you not pray that God teaches someone a lesson for their good?

[@JadDragon]

@@maxaplin4204 let me reword it for you: But why would you not pray for misfortune to fall on someone?

[@maxaplin4204]

​@@JadDragon This is all discussed in the podcast. Did you listen to it? In the Bible we sometimes find God causing people distress to teach them a valuable lesson for their good. And we find the Psalmist praying in exactly this way in Psalm 83:16: 'Cover their faces with shame so that they will seek your name, LORD.' We also find the same principle more broadly too. So, for example, in 2 Cor 7:8-10 Paul says: 'For even if I grieved you with my letter, I don't regret it. . . . I now rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. . . . For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation.' We are called to love people, but love is sometimes tough. Sometimes we need to cause pain in order to bring about lasting healing. And the same principle applies to praying for people.

[@JadDragon]

@@maxaplin4204 yes, I listened to the podcast. Love isn't vindictive and praying someone "learns a lesson" is. You can't take away the negative connotation from the phrase. So again, why would you not pray for misfortune to fall on someone?

[@henryodera5726]

@@maxaplin4204 Erm...since you're quoting Psalms 83:16 as a loving approach, would you also prescribe Psalms 83:17? Every passage in its own context. It is quite clear that Psalms 83 is not an intercession Psalm calling for people's salvation. It's calling for the exact opposite. It's a Psalm calling for God to rise up and put a stop to His enemies through any means necessary, which could be forced submission through temporary extreme terror and humiliation (verse 15-16), or permanent humiliation and destruction (verse 17). You wouldn't pray Psalms 83 for a loved one that you want to protect from harm. You wouldn't pray that for your rebellious 10-year old kid who won't listen to you. No, for your 10-year old kid, you'd ask for mercy, patience and understanding from God, even as you ask God to intervene but with kindness.

[@richellepeace4457]

It amazes me how any question is answered with a chore list and a vague result...

[@Mando-d4k]

Do you recall Bevelyn Beatty Williams? Piper, does that name ring a bell? It should. Bevelyn is a young black woman who has been sentenced to 41 months in jail for doing the same thing you did in 1989: praying in front of an abortuary. Four years ago. (BTW, you were released after several hours.) If Trump was president this woman would never have even been prosecuted. Can you please think about Bevelyn and the other pro life mothers (and grandmothers), some of whom are doing 10 years of hard time in federal penitentiaries for, again, doing the same thing you did? Oh, and a good time to think of them would be BEFORE you write your next political advice piece.

[@HearGodsWord]

1989 is 35 years ago. You'd rather follow Trump who is not pro life and is not a Christian. That shows how far from the kingdom you are Paul.