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Give Ear to My Voice
A Psalm of David.
141 O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!
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!
Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
When their judges are thrown over the cliff,
then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord;
in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers!
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.
(ESV)
Psalm 141 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
David fixed his eyes on the Lord.
There are many times in life where we are stunted by the actions of others. As they spew hatred and evil in our direction, we begin to collapse. We may put up a good front, but the words strike deep within our heart. I used to tell my youth group that when our head hits the pillow, there is no escaping reality. We can keep busy throughout the day with work, family life, and entertainment. But when we lay down to sleep in the silence of the night, in that stillness, guilt, shame, fear, and regret often begin to creep in.
It’s in these moments that it’s easy to become overwhelmed. We can feel absolutely crippled by the intense hatred others have for us and the way they use their words toward us. It is possible to become so self-absorbed in our difficulties that we are paralyzed with fear, or even lose sleep. We start to question things we once thought we were sure of. Of course, this is not healthy, but it’s part of life. We have all been there before. David was there. His frustration with his enemies boils over in his prayer to God.
Psalms 141:8 HCSB But my eyes look to You, Lord GOD. I seek refuge in You; do not let me die.
I love that the Psalms offer so much raw, vivid emotion. There is most likely not an emotion we will face in life that has not already been explored by this book. By reading Scripture, we can posture ourselves in the same way as many other struggling believers. We can cry out to God. We can resolve to trust Him. We can pray for His justice as He unfolds His will.
In the moments when life gets real, what do you turn to? Distractions? Addictions? Worldly pleasures? Or, when you lay your head down, do you turn your eyes to God and look to Him for the intangible antidote to life’s misery? A real, lasting peace, hope, and joy cannot be manufactured solely by human intervention. We must turn our eyes to Him and say aloud with wholehearted confidence, “I seek refuge in You!”