In Psalm 141, David again finds himself in need of God's rescue. His path is fraught with traps and nets and snares as his enemies seek his demise. As he prays, he lifts up two requests: that the Lord would deliver him from his enemies, but also that the Lord would guard his mouth, that he might not become like his enemies in spouting all sorts of evil. Yes, even evil spoken against evil is evil. Hence Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed: "darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." This second request is by far the greater concern, as David's enemies can only kill him, which is merely momentary. The threat of corruption, however, can be damning forever...but for the grace of God. Hence David prays: "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!"
Lord, temptations abound for us to become like those whom we condemn. We can be tempted to hate haters or slander slanderers or deceive deceivers or abuse abusers. We might even think we are justified in doing so, thinking ourselves as defenders of goodness and champions of truth. The truth is: our hearts are just as susceptible to violence and hate as the hearts of our enemies. The truth is: we need you or we will do the very same things we condemn others for doing.
O Lord, set a guard over our mouths that we might not speak any evil. Keep watch over our hearts and let them not be inclined toward any evil. Do not let us fall into doing any evil, or fall in with evildoers, or be enticed by their ill-gotten gains. Lord, grant that we might walk in your ways, and thereby be a light in the darkness, reflecting the glorious light of Christ into this dark world in which we live. Grant that we might not fight fire with fire, but with water. Grant that we might not fight darkness with darkness, but with light. Grant that we might not fight hate with hate, but with love. Grant that we might less and less be a part of the problem of this world, and more and more be a part your plan to fill the whole earth with your glory; to fill the earth with kindness and truth, mercy and love, justice and grace, and every other good thing. Work in our hearts, that this might increasingly be true. We humbly pray in Jesus' name, amen.
