 | | Psalm 141:1,3 "LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee... Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
What was the first thing that came out of your mouth this morning? Scary thought, isn't it? If you are like me, my mouth is ready to start talking before I'm awake enough to guard it properly. We can say some pretty scary things when our lips are unguarded! For instance, have you ever been afraid of what you would say if you talked in your sleep or were put under anesthesia?
This is why this prayer of David is so important for us. The psalm begins as prayer to the Lord. Many of the psalms start off with a prayer to God for help or deliverance; the reassurance, or answer to the prayer, is never far behind. Let the first person you talk to in the morning be the Lord, and let a prayer be the first words out of your mouth! Those who do not have any problems never pray-for the rest of us, prayer should be a priority!
Notice what David prayed in verse 3: "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips." A "watch" is a person who watches-brilliant, I know! Like a paid guard, a watch stays awake while others are sleeping to guard something very important. Here, David asks God to set a guard in front of his mouth. What we say with our lips is so important. Our mouths can be used for tremendous good or for tearing someone down in an instant. Though we try, we cannot do a good job of guarding the "door of our lips" on our own. We need the Lord's help every day-so ask for it!
Not only did David ask the Lord to guard his mouth, but he also asked God to guard His actions. Verse 4 says, "Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works. . . ." May we always depend upon the Lord for help in doing what is right. When we get away from depending upon Him, we are setting ourselves up for trouble.
Notice what else David asked in verse 5: "Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil. . . ." Yes, it's true that we must ask the Lord for help in speaking and doing right, but when we fail, we need a true friend to lovingly "shoot straight" with us. This kind of friend is worth a thousand times more than the man or woman who only tells us what we want to hear. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend" (Proverbs 27:6).
This psalm is certainly a model prayer for anybody and for any morning! Hear what I pray-guard what I say. What better way to start your morning than to start it with prayer! "Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul to thee." (Psalm 143:8)
| 1. Revival services tonight in Harned, KY, and Hustontown, PA 2. BRR Ladies' Retreat continuing today and tomorrow 3. Revival meetings at First Baptist Church of Santa Maria, CA this month 4. Ranch evangelists traveling to services this weekend in National City, CA; Petersburg, IN; Linden, PA; and Magna,UT | | | |
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