Oops! I did it again! I opened my mouth and let some words slip out that I shouldn’t have. Has that happened to you? It sure has happened to me more often than I wish. If only there was a trap at my mouth to catch every word before they got out, where I could check them over first, and hold back ones that on second thought I know aren’t advisable to say. Could you use such a device? This is something that King David wished he had, and was something he actually prayed the Lord would help him with. We read about this in our psalm for this week.
Our psalm, one of the many that King David wrote, begins with the king’s prayer to the Lord. David’s life was often like a roller coaster ride, a lot of rapid ups and downs, and quickly whipping around problems right and left. In all of these he knew that he needed God’s help, and he often prayed to Him, calling out for Him to listen to his voice (vs. 1). David compared his prayers rising up to God like the smoke of incense rising into the air (vs. 2). I love the smell of church incense, just like in a dimly lit medieval monastery. Our prayers do rise up to God like incense, as we read in Revelation 5:8 and Revelation 8:3-4.
God loves to hear our prayers. They are like bowls of incense, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Our prayers, even the “little ones” do not bother Him. God wants us to pray constantly (I Thessalonians 5:17), and to pray about everything in our lives (Philippians 4:6). He cares about every detail in our life. Don’t believe the lie that your concerns aren’t worth His time.
As King David continued, he confessed to the Lord that he knows that his mouth sometimes gets him into trouble (vs. 3). He opened his mouth and let slip words he wished he hadn’t said. David asked the Lord to set a guard before his mouth, right at his lips, so no wrong words could escape. Living in royal palaces, he probably had guards at many of the doors. They would stand there with heavy staff and spears in their hands, ready to block the entrance for unwelcome people, or the exit for people the king wished to detain. Nothing could get in or out without royal approval.
Just as David prayed, we are to be very careful with what we say at all times. Words are powerful. They can build people up, and they can also tear them down. It’s so easy to say a damaging word. Imagine that royal guard standing watch at your mouth. Every word must pass inspection before it can come out. This is a good prayer for the beginning of each day.
David continued through the rest of the psalm praying that the Lord would keep him from following the ways of the wicked. Unless one escapes to a monastery, it is impossible to live a life without running into some disreputable people now and then. However, we don’t want to let their ways influence us, and this was David’s prayer (vs. 4). This is a prayer that also echoes the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:13), where we pray to not be led into temptation, and be delivered from the evil one. If we are not careful, we can easily find ourselves slipping down sin’s slope, soon careening out of control.
Though we read how important it is to steer clear of the influence and ways of the wicked, we are also instructed to accept the counsel of righteous and godly people (vs. 5). When they seek to give us godly counsel and correction, we should not take offense, nor tell them to leave us alone and get lost. God tells us here to accept their words, as in reality it is kindness. A true friend will gently correct us when we need it (Proverbs 27:6). A false friend either doesn’t care, they are not invested enough in our lives to notice, or are deep in their own sins.
As we close up Psalm 141, we should take its lessons to heart in our lives. Let’s carefully watch our words, watch who we associate with, and to accept the correction of those we know are good and godly examples. Then our prayers can rise to the Lord as sweet-smelling incense!
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