The majority of modern Western Evangelicalism has lost its teeth and become emasculated and effeminate. It is dominated by sentimentality and compromise wrapped up in the language of “winsomeness”. “Niceness” has become the ultimate standard for a Christianity that has not known serious persecution (yet). It’s easy to understand how the relative ease and comfort Christian civilization has afforded the West has also led to it becoming soft and lacking a serrated edge. Western Christians balk at the imprecatory Psalms. Many have no clue what to make of them, and so just skip them over and dismiss them as irrelevant. However, Christians under persecution and threat of death would not need to be convinced of their legitimacy in our Biblical canon.

When our interpretation of the Bible is totally foreign to Christian history and our brothers around the world, perhaps its time to reassess our own viewpoint. God put the imprecatory Psalms in His Word for a reason—and it wasn’t so that the modern church could ignore them.

What are imprecatory Psalms?

In the vast treasury of Scripture, the Book of Psalms stands as the inspired hymnbook of God’s people, a collection of 150 prayers and songs that capture the full spectrum of human experience before the throne of God. Among these are the imprecatory Psalms—those passages where the psalmist calls down God’s judgment, curses, and destruction upon the wicked and the enemies of God’s Kingdom. Examples include Psalm 109, where David prays for his accuser’s life to be cut short and his children to become beggars, or Psalm 137, with its stark plea for vengeance against Babylon: “Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock.” These are not mild sentiments, and in an age of feel-good spirituality, they can feel jarring, even scandalous.

The imprecatory Psalms are vital expressions of God’s holiness and justice—raw prayers that channel righteous indignation against evil toward the sovereign Judge, rather than personal revenge (Romans 12:19). These aren’t “problematic” Old Testament holdovers; they’re messianic echoes of Christ’s own cries for vindication (e.g., Psalm 69:9 quoted in John 2:17) and apostolic patterns (e.g., Paul’s curses in Galatians 1:8-9).

Scholars debate the exact boundaries—some lists are narrow (focusing on overt curses), others broader (including pleas for divine intervention against enemies). Here’s a list of those commonly identified as imprecatory: Psalms 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 17, 28, 31, 35, 37, 39, 40, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 69, 70, 71, 79, 80, 83, 94, 109, 129, 137, 139, 140, and 143. Below are a few examples.

Psalm	Key Imprecatory Verse(s)	Brief Context
Psalm 7	“O Lord my God, if I have done this… let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it” (v. 3-5); “Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies” (v. 6).	David’s plea for God to judge his innocence and repay his accusers.
Psalm 35	“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me” (v. 1); “Let ruin come upon them unawares” (v. 8).	A cry for deliverance from false witnesses, invoking destruction on plotters.
Psalm 55	“Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive” (v. 15).	Betrayal by a close friend prompts a stark call for sudden judgment.
Psalm 58	“The wicked are estranged from the womb… O God, break the teeth in their mouths” (vv. 3, 6).	Indictment of corrupt judges, praying for their violent overthrow.
Psalm 69	“Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them” (v. 24); “May they be blotted out of the book of the living” (v. 28).	Messianic lament (quoted in the Gospels), cursing those who hate the righteous.
Psalm 79	“Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you… Let their blood be poured out like water” (vv. 6, 10).	National plea after Jerusalem’s fall, demanding vengeance on desecrators.
Psalm 109	“Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand… May his days be few; may another take his office” (vv. 6, 8).	Harsh curses on a betrayer, echoed in Acts 1:20 against Judas.
Psalm 137	“O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed… Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” (vv. 8-9).	Exilic rage against captors, invoking total retribution.
Psalm 139	“Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?… O that you would kill the wicked, O God!” (vv. 21, 19).	Affirmation of hating God’s enemies, praying for the wicked’s slaughter.

As Doug Wilson notes,

“One of the easiest things in the world to misunderstand (and therefore to misrepresent) is the biblical pattern of imprecatory prayer. It is very easy to interpret the practice as some kind of primitive voodoo doll custom, practiced only by the petty and vindictive.”

And this is often the way many Evangelical Christians feel about the imprecatory Psalms (though they may not vocalize it). There is often a slight bit of shame and shyness to even broach the topic. Just consider the awkwardness if one of these Psalms were to show up in a modern Bible study in Canada or the US—you’d see all sorts of attempts at rationalizing and downplaying what they were clearly saying.

Yet, I contend that these Psalms are not relics to be ignored but essential elements of Christian devotion. They reflect the holiness of God, the reality of evil, and the certainty of His triumphant justice.

In this article, we’ll explore why modern Christians and churches have largely abandoned the Psalms in worship and prayer, the spiritual repercussions of that neglect, and a compelling biblical case for reclaiming them. We’ll also address some common objections. My hope is that you’ll be stirred to dust off your Psalter and let these God-breathed words shape your prayers and songs once more.

The Historic Place of Psalms in Christian Worship

To understand the current neglect, we must first recall the Psalms’ central role in the church’s history. From the earliest days of the Christian era, the Psalms were woven into worship.

The apostles quoted them extensively, and Jesus Himself prayed from the Psalter on the cross (e.g., Psalm 22:1 in Matthew 27:46). In the Early Church, they sang Psalms regularly—and often exclusively. This tradition of Psalm-singing continued on to the Patristic period and the Mideval period. In the Reformation, figures like John Calvin championed exclusive psalmody—the singing of Psalms alone in public worship—as a safeguard against human inventions in praise. Calvin’s Geneva Psalter, a metrical version of all 150 Psalms, was used in Reformed churches across Europe, including the imprecatory ones. He viewed psalm-singing as a means of grace, where the Holy Spirit works through God’s Word to edify believers and unite them in prayer. This was the norm for churches throughout history, and even Protestant churches after the Reformation.

Historic Reformed confessions echo this. The Westminster Directory for Public Worship (1645) prescribed the singing of Psalms, affirming their sufficiency for praise. Theologians like Geerhardus Vos, a 20th-century Reformed scholar, urged Christians to “glory in them and not hesitate to use them in worship,” recognizing that evil’s destruction requires the downfall of those allied with it. This practice aligned with the regulative principle, ensuring worship remained biblical and God-centered.

These practices were not abnormal for the majority of Christian history. In fact, Christians were simply obeying Scripture’s clear command to sing Psalms in their worship. The Apostle Paul tells us to,

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16)

And again that we are to be,

“addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” (Eph 5:19)

These are not just a few select Psalms (such as Psalm 23). This involves the use of the whole of the Psalms, including the imprecatory ones. If we are to be Biblically obedient, we need to get over our own personal hang ups and figure out how to obey this command to utilize the entirety of the Psalter.

Why Have Churches Stopped Singing and Praying the Psalms?

Despite this rich heritage, the Psalms have faded from many evangelical worship services and personal devotions. Several historical and cultural factors contribute to this shift.

First, the rise of hymnody in the 18th century played a pivotal role. Isaac Watts, often called the “father of English hymnody,” argued that the Psalms, particularly the imprecatory ones, were too “Jewish” or harsh for New Testament believers. He paraphrased them to soften their edges or replaced them with original hymns focused on Christian themes. Watts’ influence spread rapidly, especially in England and America, leading churches to prioritize hymns over Psalms. As one historical analysis notes, “metrical psalms drove out pure psalmody,” and then paraphrases and hymns took over. So, while we greatly appreciate many of the hymns Watts left us, this legacy of downplaying the psalms in Christian worship is one that has unfortunately weakened the church.

Second, the Enlightenment and Romanticism introduced a sentimental view of religion, emphasizing personal emotion and optimism over divine judgment. This “sickly sentimentalism,” as Vos termed it, made imprecations seem uncivilized.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, liberal theology further dismissed them as primitive. This chronological snobbery turned its nose up and dismissed these historic traditions because of a disregard and low view of our forefathers (a violation of the principle of the 5th commandment). Surely they were not as civilized and enlightened as we are! We can’t look to such outdated customs—after all, we have cellphones! Right? (sarcasm)

Third, modern worship music, driven by contemporary Christian music (CCM) industry trends, prioritizes accessibility and emotional uplift. Songs like those from Elevation Worship or Hillsong rarely echo the raw lament or judgment of the Psalms. The majority of what passes as modern worship ends up being Christian feel-good pop songs. Churches have shifted to spectator-style services where professional bands perform, and congregants listen rather than sing robustly. Additionally, discomfort with the imprecations themselves—fearing they promote violence or contradict Jesus’ call to love enemies—has led to selective use or outright omission. They just don’t fit into our modern contemporary style of happy-clappy or emotional “worship”. Those emotions associated with the imprecatory Psalms are now culturally taboo, while other emotions—such as sentimentality and the warm and fuzzies are OK.

Lastly, the church has become susceptible to feminization from the pervasive cultural influence of feminism. Evangelicalism has largely lost the distinctively masculine shape of the Christian faith. But, whether our culture likes it or not, Christianity is patriarchal. After all, God reveals himself to us as the ultimate Patriarch, the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. In many Evangelical churches, there is a functional Egalitarianism (even in supposedly Complementarian churches)—largely reflected in the fact that women dominate both the pews and leadership positions. If you look at the average Evangelical worship service, much of it is led by women. Thus, Psalms that curse are viewed by the church effeminized as too uncooth and harsh for feminized piety.

Even in Reformed circles, where the regulative principle is affirmed, practical drift occurs, with many opting for simpler hymns. The result? A generation unfamiliar with singing God’s Word directly.

The Repercussions of Neglecting the Psalms

Abandoning the Psalms isn’t neutral; it impoverishes the church spiritually, theologically, and practically.

Theologically, it distorts our view of God. The Psalms present Him as both merciful Shepherd and righteous Judge. Ignoring imprecations fosters a lopsided theology where God’s love overshadows His holiness and wrath against sin. As Ligonier Ministries explains, praying these Psalms reminds us that “vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19), entrusting justice to Him rather than diluting it. Without them, we risk portraying God as a cosmic teddy bear, unable to confront evil. Evangelicalism is in need of recovering the Biblical view of God as the Warrior-King who fights our battles and conquers His enemies.

Spiritually, it weakens our prayer life and worship. The Psalms teach us to pray honestly about suffering, injustice, and opposition—realities the church faces today amid cultural decay, persecution, and moral rebellion. Neglect leads to shallow devotions, where we avoid grappling with evil. Excluding Psalms makes worship “comfortable” for the worldly but robs believers of tools for sanctification and spiritual warfare. Because Christ’s Kingdom advances gradually, praying for the downfall of wickedness is vital tool for cultural transformation. Though God doesn’t need us, He has so decreed to work through the prayers of His saints. What an honour! And how much more might we see His Kingdom advance if we made use of all the prayers and songs He gave to us in the Psalms?

The problem is that most Western Christians today don’t know that life is war—thus, they don’t know what prayer is for! In addtion to many other things, prayer is our heavenly walkie-talkie to call down spiritual bombardment against enemy strongholds. The imprecatory Psalms give us language for the spiritual battle.

Practically, it violates the regulative principle, introducing man-made songs that may lack the depth or inspiration of Scripture. Churches become echo chambers of popular sentiment rather than houses of biblical praise. Moreover, as Calvin noted, psalm-singing unites the congregation in God’s Word, fostering communal edification. Without it, worship devolves into entertainment, and believers miss the formative power of memorizing and internalizing Scripture through song. Worship without the totality of the Psalms often ends up becoming lop-sided. We focus on the themes and songs we like, such as basking in the love of God, His mercy and grace, the intimacy of fellowship with Him, etc. All these are great and good and true. However, they are not the totality of Biblical spirituality. Thus, without the full range of Psalms, even our piety becomes impoverished.

In my own tradition, this neglect contributes to a passive church, ill-equipped for apologetics or cultural engagement. It produces Christians who are confrontation-averse, unwilling to enter into the “culture wars” and all too happy to use pious-sounding excuses for their apathy. Perhaps the way we pray and sing has had some influence on this? I think so. But, consider if you regularly made use of the whole range of prayers and songs through the Psalms. How would that help foster boldness and willingness to step into necessary conflict for the cause of Christ?

Singing and praying the imprecatory Psalms remind us that there is an Enemy out there, he is dangerous and we need God’s intervention to defeat him. It reminds us that we are in a battle—we’re soldiers in the LORD’s army with a mission of conquest for the sake of His Kingdom. It gives us the tools of that spiritual warfare—which Paul reminds us “are not carnal”. It also gives men something to resonate with and sanctify their God-given masculine traits of aggression, strength, and a desire to subdue evil.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why so many men think that religion is “a woman’s domain”—because the effeminization of the church has made it so and alienated men from a faith that calls them to the frontlines.

Addressing Common Rebuttals

Critics raise several objections to using imprecatory Psalms. Let’s examine them biblically.

Rebuttal 1: These are Old Testament; New Testament Christians should love enemies, not curse them. True, Jesus commands love for enemies (Matthew 5:44), but imprecations aren’t personal vendettas—they’re pleas for God’s justice. Also, Jesus’s instructions about turning the other cheek and loving our enemies are in the context of dealing with personal relationships. It does not mean that God does not require justice and retribution in other contexts—such as the State who rightly weilds the sword to punish evildoers (Rom. 13:4). Paul echoes the imprecatory Psalms in Galatians 1:8-9, cursing false teachers, and Revelation 6:10 has martyrs crying out to God for vengeance. If perfected saints can cry out prayers of imprecation, then praying imprecatory Psalms is not sinful. So, what’s stopping us other than our personal preferences? As one scholar notes, these Psalms anticipate eschatological judgment, aligning with praying “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10). Loving enemies includes praying for their repentance, but if they persist in evil, we entrust them to God’s wrath, as Christ did (1 Peter 2:23).

Rebuttal 2: They promote violence or hatred. Not so; they channel righteous indignation to God, preventing sinful retaliation. It is when we don’t have God-given imprecatory Psalms to utilize that people are more tempted to take matters into their own hands. Popular Christian writers like C.S. Lewis and Tim Keller have critiqued the use of imprecatory Psalms as sub-opitmally gracious—arguing that now in this age of grace in Christ, they don’t apply. However, Rhys Laverty notes that,

“If we view Old Testament believers as sub-optimally gracious because they had not had the fullness of the Gospel revealed to them, then likewise: should we shy away from Moses’ song because Christ was drowned in the Red Sea of judgement for us at the cross? Should we find better words than Deborah’s because Jesus was pierced for our transgressions with the tent-peg of God’s wrath? Again, I don’t think any of us stand there thinking “oh Moses, if only you had known a better way to pray!”

Reformed thinkers like Vos counter that the imprecatory Psalms demand evil’s destruction for God’s glory. Far from being something to let our sinful anger run loose, the imprecatory Psalms give us God-inspired language to use when faced with the cruel reality of evil in this world.

This year (2025), over 7000 Christians have been brutally murdered in Nigaria by Islamic militant groups such as Boko Haram. Open Doors reports that,

These increased under the rule of former president Muhammadu Buhari, putting Nigeria at the epicentre of targeted violence against the church. The government’s failure to protect Christians and punish perpetrators has only strengthened the militants’ influence… The attacks are shockingly brutal. Many believers are killed, particularly men, while women are often kidnapped and targeted for sexual violence. More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world. These militants also destroy homes, churches and livelihoods. More than 16.2 million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, including high numbers from Nigeria, have been driven from their homes by violence and conflict. Millions now live in displacement camps.

The Christian Post reports that,

“The brutal massacre of an estimated 7,087 Christians and abduction of 7,800 others also translated to an average of 30 Christian deaths per day and more than one per hour,” Intersociety’s report reads. “An estimated 35 Christians are also calculated to have been abducted daily and roughly two others per hour, in the said past 220 days or seven months and ten days of 2025.”

I wonder, if we were under such persecution, would we struggle to use the imprecatory Psalms? What if those killed, raped or abducted were your sons, daughters, mothers, fathers or grandparents? Would we understand the need to cry out for God’s vengeance and justice in the face of unthinkable evil? Yet, even though we are not dealing with Boko Haram here in the West, this is the world we inhabit—a fallen world full of evils and enemies of God.

As Doug Wilson has noted,

“Some people want to use the imprecatory psalms as a way of providing cover for their own personal anger issues. They want to break the teeth in somebody’s jaw, and Psalm 3 provides them with a ready answer if rebuked. But there are others who understand that a hard world sometimes requires hard words.”

For me, personally, I found the imprecatory Psalms to be a source of comfort and a healthy outlet for the anger and frustrations I felt during COVID when such blatant lies and injustices were being perpetrated against myself and my loved ones by a tyrannical government, a corrupted medical system, spineless pastoral leadership and a brainwashed citizenry who was all too willing to villainize those who paused to question the official narrative. It gave me language to vent my frustrations to God and ask Him to deliver and bring to justice the wicked. It allowed me to give that over to God and not let resentment, bitterness and sinful anger fester in my heart. I knew I could trust the Judge of all the earth to do that which is just.

Properly used, the imprecatory Psalms actually foster humility, reminding us judgment belongs to God alone.

Rebuttal 3: They’re descriptive of ancient worship, not prescriptive for today. This ignores their inspired nature. If all Scripture is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16), including for prayer, why exclude them? If we were to take this approach to Scripture, then there are a lot of other things we could dismiss as things of the past that we’re not bound to practice today. In fact, this is exactly the type of interpretive approach liberal theologians take to dismiss the Bible’s clear instructions. John Calvin included the imprecatory Psalms in worship, seeing them as models for Christian devotion, and as has been covered already, we’re commanded by the apostle Paul to make use of them in our worship.

Rebuttal 4: They make people uncomfortable. Comfort isn’t the goal; conformity to Christ is. The modern Evangelical church has been “trained to moral softness,” averting our eyes from the truly hideous reality of evil. Yet, they resonate with the oppressed, offering hope in God’s justice.

These Psalms should not make us uncomfortable. Evil should make us uncomfortable. The imprecatory psalms, give us comfort in the face of evil—reminding us that we can call on God, as the perfect Avenger, to fight for our cause and for ultimate justice.

Perhaps they are just what the modern Evangelical church needs today to prod her out of her “comfort” and realize that we are in a spiritual battle.

Relevance and Use Today

Why reclaim them? First, biblical fidelity demands it. The Psalms are God’s Word, commanded for use in worship (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Singing them fulfills the regulative principle and equips us for every good work.

Second, they reflect Christ’s own prayers. As the ultimate Davidic King, Jesus embodies the Psalms (Hebrews 2:12). He pronounced woes on the wicked (Matthew 23) and will judge them at His return. Imprecations pray for the subduing of Christ’s enemies (Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:25).

Third, they address real-world evil. In an era of abortion, tyranny, persecution, and cultural apostasy, these Psalms give voice to lament and urgency. They remind us that God’s kingdom advances not through niceties but through His sovereign power crushing opposition until every enemy is made His footstool (1 Cor. 15:25; Psa. 110:1; Heb. 10:12-13)

Fourth, they balance mercy and justice. Praying curses can lead to healing, as we surrender vengeance to God.

Practically, start small: Incorporate metrical Psalms into devotions or church services.

So, the imprecatory Psalms aren’t optional—they’re God’s gift for a warring church. By reclaiming them, we honor His holiness, prepare for victory, and pray as Jesus taught. Let us sing and pray them boldly, trusting the Lion of Judah to roar.

Resources on Using the Imprecatory Psalms Today

In our age of cultural compromise and soft sentimentality, praying these Psalms reminds us that God’s holiness demands reckoning with evil, not ignoring it. Below, I’ve compiled a curated list of books and articles from solid Reformed and conservative evangelical sources. I’ve focused on those that emphasize practical application today, drawing from theologians who uphold the regulative principle of worship and the full authority of the Psalter. These resources address how to pray and sing these Psalms without descending into personal vendetta, while answering common objections like their supposed incompatibility with New Testament love for enemies.

Books

• War Psalms of the Prince of Peace: Lessons from the Imprecatory Psalms by James E. Adams (P&R Publishing, 2016, 2nd edition). This is a standout for Reformed Baptists—Adams, a pastor in the Reformed Presbyterian tradition, argues that these Psalms are messianic, pointing to Christ as the ultimate Judge. He explains how Christians can pray them today without contradicting Jesus’ command to love enemies (Matthew 5:44), emphasizing that imprecations entrust vengeance to God (Romans 12:19). Practical chapters include sermon outlines and worship applications. If you’re into presuppositional apologetics, you’ll appreciate how Adams defends the Psalms’ inspiration against liberal dismissals as “primitive.”
• Psalms That Curse: A Brief Primer by Sean McGowan (Christian Focus Publications, 2022). A concise, accessible guide from a Reformed perspective, perfect for beginners. McGowan, a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, unpacks the ethics of cursing in prayer, showing how these Psalms align with Calvinism’s emphasis on God’s sovereignty over judgment. He addresses repercussions of neglecting them, like a watered-down view of sin, and offers tips for using them in family-integrated worship (where all ages participate together without age-segregated programs). Reviewers praise its balance of scholarship and practicality—think of it as a quick antidote to modern evangelical squeamishness.
• Cursing with God: The Imprecatory Psalms and the Ethics of Christian Prayer by Trevor Laurence (Baylor University Press, 2023). While not strictly Reformed, Laurence engages Reformed thinkers like Calvin and draws on the regulative principle to argue for singing these Psalms in worship. He explores their role in theonomy (applying God’s law to society), urging Christians to pray for the downfall of unjust systems. It’s thorough on rebuttals, like why imprecations don’t promote violence but channel righteous zeal to God. Great for deeper philosophical dives.

Articles

• “How Should Christians Respond to the Imprecatory Psalms?” from Ligonier Ministries
• “How Can a Christian Use the Imprecatory Psalms?” by Dr. Miles Van Pelt at Reformed Theological Seminary
• “Embracing the Imprecatory Psalms” podcast and article at Reformed Forum
• “Reading and Praying the Imprecatory Psalms” by the Reformed Classicalist
• “Praying the Imprecatory Psalms: The Case for Christian Curses” at Think Theology

May we recover the use of the whole Psalter in our Christian lives.