Set a Guard, O Lord
Wednesday’s Verse:
From Psalm 141:3 ESV
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!”
The other day, I wrote a bit about my dad, the day after his birthday, and a lesson he taught me: Think before you speak. It is not the most important lesson in life, but it turns out to be the most helpful one.
In the Bible, Saint Peter is an example of NOT thinking before running your mouth. Remember the story when Jesus told His disciples He would suffer and die, but Peter said that would never happen? Jesus replied to Peter, saying, “Satan, get behind me!”
Pastors nowadays have the same problem. Ever watch a TV or internet minister with their loud voices and rock bands? Sometimes, they make you scratch your head. Back years ago, televangelist Benny Hinn (his “show” aired Monday through Friday at 6:00 am on Channel 9 - WWOR) once said, "Sometimes I wish God would give me a Holy Ghost machine gun. I'd blow your head off!" Yeah, he is trying to make a point, but come on. It’s not about Hinn, it's supposed to be about Jesus.
Yet this verse is not only about self-control. Notice where David turns. He does not say, “I will master my speech.” He says, “Set a guard, O Lord.” This is the prayer of faith. We ask God to do in us what we cannot fully do on our own.
Christ Himself spoke perfectly. Where we fail with careless and sinful words, Jesus spoke truth, mercy, and forgiveness. Even when reviled, He did not sin with His lips. Through His death and resurrection, our sins of speech are forgiven. And through His Spirit, He keeps shaping our words so they may serve our neighbor instead of harming them.
Before speaking today, pause and pray this verse. Ask the Lord to make your words gentle, truthful, and useful. Sometimes the most faithful words are few. Sometimes the most loving act is silence. And sometimes God uses a simple word of kindness to bring peace to another person.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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