Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Psalm 141 Devotional

A Guard at the Door

“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.”Psalm 141:3 (BSB)

Many psalms ask God for protection from wicked people. Psalm 141 also asks for protection from becoming one. David wants his prayer to rise before God like incense, his lifted hands like the evening offering (141:2). Then he asks God to post a guard over his mouth and keep watch at the door of his lips (141:3). He asks that his heart not be drawn toward evil, and that he not share the delicacies of those who do wrong (141:4).

David even welcomes correction. If a righteous person strikes him with a rebuke, he wants to receive it as kindness, like oil on his head, and not refuse it. That humility does not come naturally. It grows in someone whose eyes are fixed on God and who takes refuge in him (141:8). James admits that the tongue is beyond human taming (James 3:8), which is exactly why David asks God to guard his. The words you speak today and the influences you welcome can both be placed under God's watch.

To think about: Whose loving correction might you need to welcome right now instead of resisting it?

About Psalm 141: A Prayer to Be Kept From Evil

David asks that his prayer rise to God like incense and that God guard his speech and keep his heart from the ways of evildoers. He welcomes correction from the righteous, looks to the Lord for refuge, and asks to escape the traps his enemies have set.

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