The Taboo of Prayer

Psalms 10:15
"Break the arm of the wicked and evil person; call his wickedness into account until nothing remains of it."

There are a  lot of misconceptions about prayer. More dangerously there are a lot of ill teaching when it comes to the topic of prayer. Because of that, we have assumed certain "taboos." Things that I just can not ask or say when I am praying to God the Father.
Case in point is the prayer of vengence. Now in dealing with misconceptions, we have assumed vengence for the disciple of Jesus to be taboo. Both in thought and in word. Yet we see where men of God through out the bible prayed for vengence over the enemies that were driven by unrighteous motives. None clearer than the Psalmist. We have assumed the psalms were these passive camp fire melodies that made you fill all warm and fuzzing inside. Granted there are those. But as a whole, the psalms are fiery and mornful. With titles like, "Prayer for mercy"," Prayer for Justice", and "From suffering to praise." The psalms teach us a lot about how we are allowed to approach the Lord in prayer. And in it's instruction, it dispels misconceptions and poor teachings about prayer. One of those  again would be the prayer for vengence. In Psalms 10:15, the artist uses the words, "Break the arm of the wicked and evil person" and "call into account until nothing remains of it." Those are not warm and fuzzy words. Yet, they are expressive and honest. When we get to the root of prayer we find expression of one's heart and the need for honest communication. David knew that there was nothing in his heart or on his lips that the LORD would not already know. Therefore, there was not a whole lot that was "taboo" when it came to his prayers to the LORD. But notice this, these were not private, hidden prayers. David would potentially sing these aloud for everyone to hear. If he was in distress, he sang of that distress; if he was happy, he sang of that happiness.
In the case of Psalms 10:15, David was in a difficult position. His enemies were bent on destroying him and mocking him. So, what does he do? He prays to the LORD and asked Him to break their arms. Yes, it is just that sharp.
So, can we pray so honestly in our prayers to God? The answer is yes. But there are somethings that we must understand as we read these instructions of prayer.

1. David was secure that his movtive was righteous.
That means that David understood that the attacks that he was undergoing were not because of his unrighteousness. He was doing as instructed by the LORD Himself. Therefore, he (David) could express his heart and his request of vengence to the LORD understanding the character of God and that He (God) would not allow the unrighteous to prevail. Listen to David's request in the beginning of Chapter 10. "Protect me, God, for I have refuge in You. I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You." Now, watch how He ends this psalm, v.10, "For You will not abandon me to Sheol; You will not allow Your Faithful One to see the Pit."
You may be saying, "I don't have enemies," "I don't have anyone trying to "kill" me." Has anyone ever turned on you? Has anyone ever hurt you intentionally? Has anyone ever gossiped about you? The Bible would say you have enemies. The Bible would say your have people who are trying to kill you. David honestly expresses his heart because he knows his motive is pure.
2. David submitted the request and released the situation.
He is the biggest key to prayers of any kind. David submitted the request to God and gave room for God to answer. Now this is bigger than just saying, "Ok God vendicate me... oh and do it now!" David did not put any demands for the response nor did he have any expectations for time frame. David sent the request and waited. You see his confidence allowed him this luxury. He again leaned on the character of God.
When we pray we can have the same confidence if we have crossed all our "t's" and dotted all our "i's." Part of that is knowing such a prayer is not about "your" vendication, but about the vendication of the LORD and His name. Such a request is honest, but in it's honesty the one asking is seeking to have those who glorify the name of the LORD proven to be honest and pure in motive. Through that the LORD is honored. For those who are His chosen are His name bearers in a world that hates Him.

In our time of distress we can cry out to God and ask for vengence, but then we have to allow the One who owns said vengence to operate at His discretion. Even if that extends past your life time. There have been many "name bearers" who never lived to see the LORD vendicate their live and crush their enemies, but He did. And He did because He is faithful to the faithful and will honor His name.