There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to Him, haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
– Proverbs 6:16–19
What a list, and obviously, we could talk a lot about each one of these things, but to see them all together and to hear God saying to us right now through His Word in Proverbs 6, “I hate these things. These things are an abomination to Me.” In other words, turn with all your heart from these things. Run from these things. Live according to the opposite of these things.
Proverbs 6:16–19 encourages us to walk in step with God’s righteousness.
So I just want to lead us to pray for a holy hatred of these things in our own lives and that God would keep us from all of them. I just want to pray them over my life, over your life right now. Let’s just pray together. God, we want to love what you love and we want to hate what you hate. And so we pray that you would help us to hate these things and that you would keep us from them. From haughty eyes, God, we pray for humility. Please keep us from prideful, haughty eyes. We pray for your protection from a lying tongue. God, we pray that our words would be honest and holy.
Lord, we pray that you would keep us from hands that shed innocent blood. God, we pray that you would help us to do justice and to show generosity and kindness and love with our hands today. We pray that you would keep us from a heart that devises wicked plans. Lord, we pray for hearts that devise good, holy plans, for hearts that are constantly devising what is most glorifying to you and most good for others.
Proverbs 6:16–19 encourages us to run from immorality.
God, we pray that you would keep us from feet that make haste to run to evil. God, help our feet to make haste to run from evil today, we pray. Help us to flee sin, immorality, idolatry in every way. Help us to run from it. God, we pray that you would help us to keep from being a false witness who breathes out lies. God, help us to be true witnesses.
Help us to be witnesses to the truth in every way and ultimately to the truth of your gospel. God, we pray that you would help our words to witness to who you are in everything we say. And God, we pray that you’d help us not to sow discord among brothers. God, help us to work for the unity of your church, for the building up of your body, and no way to sow discord in the body of Christ.
Prayer for the Kadazan Dusun People
Oh Jesus, we need your help. We need your Holy Spirit in us to cause us to hate these things and to love the opposite of these things. And we praise you for the power you have put in us by your Spirit to live according to your ways instead of these ways in the world. God, we pray for the spread of this gospel power through us today. Help us, yes, to speak your truth right around us and to spread your truth all around the world.
We pray today for the Kadazan Dusun of Brunei, this relatively small people group in a relatively small country. God, we pray that you would cause the good news of your grace to spread to the Kadazan Dusun people of Brunei, that they might be reached with the good news of your grace, knowing you love them. God, help us to love them. Help us to love what you love, those you love. Help us to hate what you hate in this world. In Jesus’ name we pray according to Proverbs 6:16-19. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
