A Prayer to Keep us from Evil

Psalms 141:1-10
A Psalm of David.

1 LORD, I cry out to You;
Make haste to me!
Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.

2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.

4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice wicked works
With men who work iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

5 Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him rebuke me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it.
For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.

6 Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff,
And they hear my words, for they are sweet.

7 Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave,
As when one plows and breaks up the earth.

8 But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord;
In You I take refuge;
Do not leave my soul destitute.

9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I escape safely.

Pray that the Lord keeps us from evil, both within and without.  Cry out to God for help in both temptation and in adversity of evil assaults.  This psalm begs God to hear such prayers as incense burned as an offering to appease and worship, with hands raised in supplications and praise of worship, for we are living sacrifices lived for Him as true worship (Romans 12:1).  Therefore, we should follow David’s example and pray that He would guard our lips, that we would yield our evil words to His watchcare and speak according to His word by the power of His Spirit living in us.  May we choose not to speak the evil in syncopation with the world nor in return for wicked words aimed at us.  No, we should be pleading with God for help to speak right and true instead.  That means the thoughts and intents of our hearts (Matthew 15:18-19) must be reigned in by willing effort while relying on grace to do so.  We pray as the psalmist that God would keep us from evil company corrupting good habits (1 Corinthians 15:33) by inviting us to partake of tempting things which of themselves may not be evil.  Beware the snare of worldliness; it is better to suffer a slap of rebuke from a brother when needed than to continue down a path to ruin.  It is not wise to refuse correction, but a reminder to do good while praying against evil and evildoers, for their salvation or judgment, according to God’s will and calling.  But pray we must!  Though we are tempted by the world’s temporal offerings, it is wise to know that they are out for evil intent at any cost, just as David prayed here concerning the disrespectful actions willed by the enemy who would scatter his bones in desecration as in a shallow grave in a farmer’s field.  Yet as 2 Corinthians 1:9 reminds us, we trust in God who raises the dead and not in the schemes and evil intended against ourselves.  We take refuge in the Lord God because He will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5); we constantly are to look to Him, not the circumstance.  He will keep us from snares which trap us in iniquity if we do these things and keep praying always, without ceasing.  Yes, the evil will fall into their own traps, whether in this life or the hereafter.  We escape the penalty and ultimate judgment of sin who are found in Christ’s righteousness.  This then is our prayer to keep from evil within and without.  Amen!