My Eyes are Toward Thee
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Psalm 141
1. I call upon thee, O Lord; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice, when I call to thee! 2. Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice! 3. Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips! 4. Incline not my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties! 5. Let a good man strike or rebuke me in kindness, but let the oil of the wicked never anoint my head; for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds. 6. When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that the word of the Lord is true. 7. As a rock which one cleaves and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol. 8. But my eyes are toward thee, O Lord God; in thee I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! 9. Keep me from the trap which they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers! 10. Let the wicked together fall into their own nets, while I escape.
My NIV translation says “come quickly to me!” That’s how I call out to God! Hurry up God! Please hurry! I am so impatient that I struggle constantly with “resting in Him.” But it’s not out of being demanding and trying to be the center of attention that I call out to the Lord! No! It’s because I usually get myself so far along the path to trouble or sin before I realize where I am that I really do need God in a hurry! I won’t bore you with details, but my entire devotion this morning could be about Verse 1!
Oh, Verse 3 is certainly applicable too! “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips.” I can’t help but believe that God knew I would need this prayer when He inspired David to record this Psalm? I have a tendency to speak before I think -- just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind! That may not be a sin, but it’s certainly caused me and others pain.
David asks God to place people in his life who will guide him, direct him, hold him accountable for his actions. We all need help and, while God is everywhere, is all-knowing, all-seeing, He wants us to help each other out. That’s why he put us on earth with other people! That’s why we tend to seek out others, and form small groups and attend social gatherings--we were made to be in community. And we need to be in community to avail ourselves of all the supports that affords us.
Keep me from the lure of “the world.” It’s pretty tempting sometimes to take the easy path, to throw up our hands and decide we’re tired. It can be a real struggle to set ourselves apart and to stay focused on God and our relationship with him. Phones, televisions, radios . . . everywhere we go . . . noise . . . drowning out the still small voice of God calling to us; murmuring to us that we are not alone, that we will never be alone; assuring us that He will guard our hearts and our minds, if we will just turn to him.
Today I hope you keep your eyes toward your Lord God. And that you rely upon his power and might to keep you set apart from the wicked and the evildoers.
Mary
