Psalm 141 reminds me of a good friend that got married to a woman that all of his friends and family did not like. The marriage was a short-lived disaster. Afterwards, he found out everyone’s feelings and he asked “Why didn’t you tell me?”. Perhaps out of love for him, people did not want to burst his bubble, or perhaps he did not want to hear. In this psalm of David, he begins his prayer, “LORD, I call to You; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You“. We have a sense that this was David’s regular prayer time, yet he does not just go through the motions. He is praying with urgency. “May my prayer be set before You like incense“. Listen to the focus of his prayer, “Set a guard over my mouth… over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil… to take part in wicked deeds“. Parents instruct children to “choose your friends carefully” because we know, “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). I love this insight, “let me not eat of their delicacies“. Young and old alike face tremendous peer pressure to take part in illicit activity as both an enticement and insurance against “whistle-blowing”. It is the exact same thing whether it is corporate embezzlement or a candy store caper. Once you take part, you too are tainted. Is there a temptation within easy reach?
David prays, “Let a righteous man strike me it is a kindness; let him rebuke me“. Sometimes we need others to slap some sense into us! Studies on peer pressure show that if just one person will stand up for the right thing, it gives courage to many. The one who points out corruption is ridiculed and harassed, but I believe it is the loving thing to. David adds, “My head will not refuse it“. Emotion can fool us, yet new perspective can help engage our brain. His prayer closes, “Keep me from the snares they have laid for me. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety“. Keeping silent about wrong is the same as giving your consent. Will you speak up?
Psalm 142 is a psalm of David subtitled, “When he was in a cave“. Caves are fine for temporary shelter, but not good for a permanent dwelling. Caves are where you hide. Far too many people crawl into a cave in desperation, and then remain there in miserable subsistence. There is often only room for one. He begins, “I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice… for mercy… before Him I tell my trouble“. Sometimes we need God’s forgiveness before we can forgive ourselves. He adds, “When my spirit grows faint within me, it is You who know my way“. With God there is always hope. Perhaps, like me, you have said these very words, “No one cares for my life“. Within our cave, we can be alone in a crowd. If you are there, please listen to this prayer. This is the story of my conversion. David cried out to God, “Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need… Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me“. It is in the Bible-believing church of Christ that the wounded are bandaged by other people with wounds. Please, don’t stay alone in your cave. God will hear your call.