Today’s post is part of our Psalm Saturdays series from guest blogger Robert Chamberlain. You can read his archives at www.roberlain.wordpress.com .
Psalm 141:1–10 (ESV)
1 O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!
3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!
5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are thrown over the cliff, then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth, so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers!
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.
We don’t have crystal balls, so when we pray to God, we’re usually hoping for a quick answer. We want Him to hasten to us. We want God to hear us and to accept our prayers.
We need God to guard our words, because as James says, if we can guard our tongues and speak aright, we would be perfect. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. We need God to steer our hearts away from their natural inclination to evil.
We might think of things like watching pornography as an individualistic choice, but in reality if we do so we’re taking part in the deeds of evil people in exploitative and abusive wickedness. If a good man rebukes us for any evil in us, if we’re spiritual, we’ll respond positively, and take it as the constructive criticism it is. We don’t need to get defensive when we get told off.
We need to pray against evils that are so prevalent in the world today, like pornography, abortion and racism. We would do well to number our days, and be conscious of our mortality. We would do well to seek refuge in God against the attacks of evildoers.
“O Lord, may we take refuge in You from the attacks of wrongdoers. Please deliver us from evil, and don’t lead us into temptation. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
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