Psalm 141 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 141 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you.
Verse 2Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
Verse 3Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Verse 4Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies.
Verse 5Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head, for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.
Verse 6When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.
Verse 7Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
Verse 8But my eyes are turned toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.
Verse 9Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers.
Verse 10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape.
Devotion
These words are familiar as part of the Service of Evening Prayer: “Let my prayer rise before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Of course, some of the words of this psalm aren’t in that service: Imagine a worship service where the righteous smite each other in friendly rebuke! But whether excerpted in the Evening Prayer, or in the full psalm, it’s hard to miss the note of desperation: “Come to me quickly ... do not strip me of my life ... Protect me from the snare.”
We are not always strangers to desperation. It can come in many forms. But in such times, remember: the Lord is faithful, the Lord is near. The Lord does come quickly to those who belong to him. The Lord does not forsake or forget. This is what our eyes see when they turn to him. They see the cross – and God’s undying love.
Prayer
Gracious Lord, rebuke our sin, but do not forsake us, for Christ’s sake. Amen.