21. A Prayer For Protection

Posted on Posted in Sermon Notes, Prayer Meeting Tagged with , , ,

Hymns: RHC 143 O Holy Night, 179 The Way of the Cross Leads Home, 154 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, 368 From Every Stormy Wind

PSALM 141

1 A Psalm of David. Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. 2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee asincense; andthe lifting up of my hands asthe evening sacrifice. 3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. 4 Incline not my heart to anyevil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. 5 Let the righteous smite me;it shall bea kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall bean excellent oil, whichshall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall bein their calamities. 6 When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet. 7 Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth woodupon the earth. 8 But mine eyes areunto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. 9 Keep me from the snares whichthey have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape. Psalm 141:1-10 (KJV)

A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

OUTLINE

  • Be Kept from doing Evil (v1-4)
  • For Godly Counsel (v5-6)
  • From Losing Hope (v7-8)
  • From the Enemy’s Trap (v9-10)

INTRODUCTION

The Christian life is fraught with dangers. The way of the cross is strait and narrow but it leads to life. In this psalm, David cries out to God for His protection to keep him from falling. Can the Lord help us when we seek Him in prayer? The answer is an affirmative “yes”!

Jude acknowledged the efficacy of prayer to keep us attuned to walk in the pathway of God’s blessing when he wrote, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)

(1) Be Kept from doing Evil (v1-4)

1 Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. 3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. 4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. 

The psalmist prayed as a man with dire need, pleading with all his heart. He asked that the LORD would make haste to instruct him the way of righteousness.

The temptation to return evil with evil is the state of the natural man. But the regenerated has a sanctified motive for good as Jesus taught in Matthew 7:12 “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

He pleaded for wisdom to set his heart, mouth and actions aright that they may not do evil.

(2) For Godly Counsel (v5-6)

 5 Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. 6 When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet. 

He sought that God would bring godly counselors to him – Proverbs 6:23 “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” Also, Proverbs 9:8-9 “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” And Proverbs 15:5 “A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.” 

And let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break ray head – Oil breaks no heads, and rebuke does no man any harm; rather, as oil refreshes and perfumes, so does reproof when fitly taken sweeten and renew the heart. My friend must love me well if he will tell me of my faults: there is an unction about him if he is honest enough to point out my errors. Many a man has had his head broken at the feasts of the wicked, but none at the table of a true hearted reprover. The oil of flattery is not excellent; the oil so lavishly used at the banquet of the reveller is not excellent; head breaking and heart breaking attend the anointings of the riotous; but it is otherwise with the severest censures of the godly: they are not always sweet, but they are always excellent; they may for the moment bruise the heart, but they never break either it or the head. (Spurgeon)

(3) From Losing Hope (v7-8)

7 Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth. 8 But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. 

Unless God would intervene, he felt that he would be in grave danger of losing his very life. The despondency is very real as he pleaded for faith to believe that God has the ability to protect and help me out of his danger.

(4) From the Enemy’s Trap (v9-10)

9 Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape. 

His prayer is that the LORD who is omniscient will help him to ward off danger.

And the gins of the workers of iniquity – These evil workers sought to catch David in his speech or acts. This was in itself a piece of in equity, and so of a piece with the rest of their conduct. They were bad themselves, and they wished either to make him like themselves, or to cause him to seem so. If they could not catch the good man in one way, they would try another; snares and gins should be multiplied, for anyhow they were determined to work his ruin. Nobody could preserve David but the Omniscient and Omnipotent One: he also will preserve us. It is hard to keep out of snares which you cannot see, and to escape gins which you cannot discover. Well might the much hunted Psalmist cry, “Keep me.” (Spurgeon)

CONCLUSION

It is indeed blessed for the Christian who has the Almighty God as his protector. Oftentimes, we are at our wit’s end but with Him are infinite counsel, wisdom, comfort, and hope. The God who delivered David, will be our deliverer too, may we take comfort and be strengthened in our hearts to trust in Him.