Guarding Our Heart

Psalm 141
A Psalm of David.
1O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!
3Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!
4Do 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!
5Let 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.
6When their judges are thrown over the cliff, then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7As when one plows and breaks up the earth, so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
9Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers!
10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.

There are a few verses in this prayer that are head-scratchers. But the verses that sing out with words of warning are loud and clear. If you allow a moment to take in what David is asking for here, it seems to ring with one clear request: protect me from my own evil inclinations.

First, David asks the Lord to hear his prayer. That is spoken out of experience, for with David we all must admit that sometimes we wonder if God has even heard our prayers. I believe that doubt comes from a heart of sin, but let’s be honest, sometimes the heavens seem to be made of brass (or bronze as is depicted in Deuteronomy 28:23 – And the heavens over your head shall be bronze.) Instead, David wants his prayers to be as fragrant incense before God, heard and acknowledged.

The most incriminating of requests comes in verse 3, Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! If only I could take back the thousands of words I’ve spoken that were selfish, foolish, arrogant, or useless. But alas, spoken words cannot be sucked back in and we are left with them floating through the air, like hot ashes. That verse needs to be my prayer every morning!

David is honest and speaks for us all when he asks God to guard his heart from his own evil inclinations. Our hearts are fickle and easily distracted by that which is not of God. May He protect our hearts with His Holy Spirit’s power. Who among us is quick to receive the words of rebuke that may be needed? But wisdom demands that we are attentive to those who know us well and have the right to speak difficult truths into our lives. David asks for help to be open to that work in his life, and we do well to mirror that prayer as well.

I will admit without apology that I have not idea what verse 7 is about. I’m open to ideas.

Finally, I ask with David, that God would be my fortress and defense, for there is none greater that He.

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