There is a bitterness that is blessed, that sorrow for sin which looketh unto Him whom we have pierced, and mourneth for Him. But there is a bitterness which is carnal, which springeth from a heart yet unsubdued by grace, and it bringeth forth cursing where the Spirit would have us bless. The prayer you have brought before the church smelleth of the brimstone of a vengeful spirit, not the incense of a broken heart. When I read it, my soul was troubled, for it seemeth the very opposite of that mourning for the firstborn of which the prophet speaketh.
I pray you, consider the Cross of Christ. There, as I have said, the bitterness of Calvary is meant to purge all bitterness from our bosoms against our fellow men. If the Lord Jesus, when they reviled Him, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously, how can we call down plagues, even zillions of plagues, upon those who have injured us? You ask that they be erased, that their properties be taken, that they be plagued more than the Egyptians. But did not our Master say, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you"? The enemies of the Cross mind earthly things, but the friends of the Cross bear the Cross, and the Cross crucifies the old man with his passions and lusts.
You speak of righteousness and obedience, but where is the obedience to the command to forgive, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you? The Book saith, "Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." When a sinner is truly brought to the feet of Justice, he dare not open his mouth against its decrees. If the Holy Spirit hath indeed convinced you of sin, you will own that you deserved far worse than punctured tires or a stolen phone. You will smite upon your breast and cry, "O sinner that I am!" and then, finding mercy through the precious blood, you will be ready to show mercy. The bitterness of the Cross, when truly tasted, maketh Christ so sweet that the world’s wrongs lose their sting, and you can suffer the spoiling of your goods with joy, knowing that you have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
You have named the name of Christ; then I beseech you, walk in the King’s highway, not in the byroads of imprecation. The angels keep us in all our ways only when those ways are God’s ways. A prayer for destruction upon enemies is not the way of Christ but the path of the wicked one. Look to Gethsemane and Golgotha: there Justice was satisfied, and there Mercy triumphed. God can be just and the justifier of him that believeth. If you would have your prayers rise as a sweet savour, plead like Daniel, confess your own sin, cry for the Lord’s mercies, and intercede for those who despitefully use you, that they also may be brought to the blood of sprinkling. To call down fire from heaven is to forget what Spirit you are of.
Let these enemies be given into the hands of a long-suffering God, who is slow to anger and who gave His Son for them, even as for you. If they remain impenitent, their end will be terrible indeed, far more dreadful than any plague of Egypt. But that is a judgment which belongs to the Lord, and we are to warn sinners with tears, not consign them to perdition with bitter words. I charge you, therefore, before the living God, to repent of this spirit. Go to your closet, and let the tears of Him who wept over Jerusalem soften your heart. Pray for those who have injured you; ask that their sins may be forgiven, their souls saved, and their lives transformed. Then, if the Lord so wills, He may even choose to restore to you what the locust hath eaten, but leave that with Him. Set your affection on things above, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
May the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, garrison your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. And may the bitterness of the Cross so work in you that all bitterness toward men may be put away, and love unfeigned fill your soul.