A Prayer for the Malicious Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-21 Lord, I pray to You to grant a measure of reprieve to all those unfortunate enough to come in contact with the miasmatic aura of malice. I plead for You to shield those who are victimized by unhinged wills, which have by dint of gene or upbringing simply abandoned all pretense of adhering to behaviors deemed mutually acceptable. I further ask You to attend to those who delight in the malicious, who relish the opportunity to publicly humiliate their rivals, their subordinates, even strangers, for, although we cannot easily forget such trespasses, we readily concede a better life in their absence. Perhaps, Lord, I am asking You to take a more active role, to unleash Your legendary Wrath, to consult the Book of Life prior to the Apocalypse, and those, whose lot it is to be cast into the Lake of Fire, cast early! Although you have admonished us to overcome evil with good, still I repeat, "Cast early!" I frankly lack the wisdom to see the value in postponing the inevitable, and, of malice, I have had enough. Because I also lack the stomach to heap the burning coals myself, I call to You for an immediate sorting of souls. Let the schedule for the Day of Reckoning be accelerated. Sweep from this Earth those whose destiny is fire and if, following Your judgment, You find the Earth empty of men, then at the very least You can console Yourself with the lonely thought that there will be no one left behind to second-guess the execution of Your verdict. |
A Prayer for the Malicious David Keffer Knoxville, TN October 10, 2014 |