Scripture
O LORD, I am calling to You. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to You for help!
~Psalm 141:1, NLT
Quote
No Christian or Christian Ministry will ever rise above the level of it’s praying.
~Jack Taylor
As we have stated before: David was not a perfect man but he was a praying man. Psalm 141 is a prayer. David is crying out to God for HELP! When we seek God’s help in prayer, it is call SUPPLICATION which is the act of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly. Here David petitions the LORD for eight things: most are found in the first five verses…
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Help LORD! Listen to my cry. Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.
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Take control of what I say, O LORD, set a guard over my mouth.
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Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness.
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Don’t let me be seduced or influenced by those who do wrong.
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Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine.
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Don’t let me refuse correction of discipline.
- Keep me safe from the traps of the wicked.
- Let the wicked fall into their own nets [traps].
The Hebrews were prone to lift their hands in praise, prayer and worship. It is picture of one offering himself to God. The priest would always raise the sacrifice with lifted hands toward the heavens. It is also a picture of a child reaching up to a parent. We have all seen little children extend their arms upward, they want you to pick them up. They want your help. David had no problem lifting his hands toward heaven; he was not too proud to ask God for help. David is concerned about several things: first, he does not want to make the same mistake as his enemies who are using tongues as weapons. He asks the LORD to post a guard over his mouth. James said, For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. We debate the worth of the internet and social media: is it good or bad. There is no doubt that Facebook has been used to hurt others but it has also been useful in helping others. The same debate is true of the tongue; it can be helpful or harmful. We can use it to pray, to praise, to proclaim God’s word but we can also use it to slander, to curse and to belittle. Apart from the horrible physical abuse Christ endured on the cross, think about the verbal abuse He suffered.
Secondly, David is concerned about discipline or correction. David had rather be rebuked or corrected by a Godly man than praised by the ungodly. David had rather be admonished by a good man than anointed by an evil man. Saul’s downfall was his inability to take correction. David did not want to follow in Saul’s footsteps. He appreciated those who loved him enough to be honest like Abigail and Nathan. He understood the necessity and the value of correction. Little progress is made in the development of character until we make ourselves accountable to someone who will tell us the truth. We all need correction, there are no exceptions. Paul corrected Peter at Antioch for acting in a hypocritical way and Barnabas confronted Paul about showing mercy to John Mark. We all need accountability and the humility to admit when we are wrong.
The third major concern expressed in David’s supplication has to do with the influence of evil. We are all subject to temptation. If we are not careful, we will allow the world to shape us into their mold. Right now, as I speak, the world is actively working to conform us to their image. The anger we feel from the left is directly related to our refusal to embrace homosexuality, same sex marriage and abortion. Practically every network TV program is promoting sexual perversion. They want us to become comfortable with two women making out–give me a break. It makes me sick and even more disgusting is two men. I don’t have much use for TV. It is a vehicle for promoting the secular humanistic philosophy which is Antichrist. David prayed, “Lord, don’t let me drift toward evil.” It is a prayer we all need to pray became we have a tendency to drift.
