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!
You can’t put toothpaste back in a tube. Maybe Vicki can have her Intro to Engineering students give it a try. No matter, the aphorism teaches us that words expressed in the heat of the moment cannot be unexpressed. That is because they come from our deceitful heart without the filters of nicety we often put on our speech. This prayer of the psalmist is preventive medicine against that very thing. He would have Israel pray to the Lord for righteous speech, springing from a pure heart. He would have them avoid sin by avoiding the association with sinful friends and their delicacies of sin. These are the words of a man who cannot trust himself so he must trust God.
That is right where God wants us! The Prodigal Son was hanging out with the wrong crowd but it ultimately led to a realization much like this one in the psalm. I am certain that the next day, the son’s prayer would have sounded similar. We all need the Lord to guard our mouths. We all need to spend time in the Bible and in prayer to avoid time in sinful pursuits. We all need to gather together with believers who spur us on to good works. Let Psalm 141 be your guide today and praise the Lord for his protection.
Dear Lord, we thank you that you provide protection and provide each other to stay close to you. May we gather together to worship you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church