“Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong.”

Psalm 141:3-4 NLT

 I love this Psalm; it shows the power of prayer! David writes this Psalm; if you read Psalm 141, you can see it’s a prayer for safekeeping from wickedness.  I’m sure we have all been in situations where we have wanted to say or do something that we knew was contrary to God’s will. Sometimes, people just want to test your faith by pushing your buttons. David is my encouragement in those moments. I look at the life of David, and I see a man who honestly had a relationship with God. David knew he could not go through life without God. He needed the power of God to help him in those challenging situations. We can truly appreciate David’s example of relying on God in situations we know cannot be handled in our power.

Can you imagine showing the love of God to someone who talks about you behind your back but smiles in your face? Someone who attempts to slander your character with lies? Someone who steals from you? What about someone who hates you enough to kill you?

 It’s possible that the prayer in Psalms 141 was when David was on the run from Saul, who was trying to kill him. Saul was very jealous of David. During his time on the run, David had two opportunities to kill Saul. Even David’s men were encouraging him to kill Saul. Their theory, God was delivering Saul into David’s hands for payback. However, David, a man of God, refused to kill Saul even though Saul was trying to kill him. This prayer in Psalms 141 could have helped David remain faithful to God and not kill His anointed one. We also see how God protected David because Saul never captured him. God is faithful. He will provide. David’s story proves that God will answer prayer and provide in our time of need.

I thank Jesus for dying for our sins and sending us the comforter to help us be like David when we run into trouble. Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) tells us about the fruits of the Spirit. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  This is exciting news for Christians! This means we don’t have to rely on our strength when faced with trials and tribulations. Galatians 5:22-23 is another one of my favorite passages in the Bible! It’s so encouraging! It reminds us that we are human and, apart from God, we are imperfect.

We can all recall a time when we found it hard, if not impossible, in our own strength to love or be gentle with someone, remain joyful amid pure chaos and confusion, show kindness to someone whom we may not like, or maybe you’re like me and struggle with patience. I have good news; God will provide! So next time you’re in a situation where you see yourself lacking in one of these areas, before you react, pray! Ask God for the strength through the Holy Spirit to overcome the situation. As with David, God will give you the strength to overcome!

Prayer:  Father God, we want to thank you, Lord, for your protection, faithfulness, and guidance. You’re so worthy of all the praise and glory. Guard the words of our mouth, oh Lord, and let us not partake in evilness. We thank Father for the fruit of the Spirit that allows us to get through trying situations. Please remove anything in us that’s not of you, Father. Continue to mold us, Father, into the faithful Christian men and women you’ve called us to be. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray and give thanks. Amen.