What struck me first and foremost when reading these Psalms was how desperate David was. Throughout each one He cries aloud to God, he begs God to listen to his pleas, and he implores God to hurry to him. David was in a state of emergency and needed to make a 911 call to the Lord. He knew as Proverbs 18:10 tells us, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.”
Living in a fallen world, trouble will visit us. But what do we do when our emergency isn’t physical but rather spiritual? As Christians we are constantly at war with an enemy whose ultimate goal is our destruction. But we have the Spirit of the Living God inside of us, so although we “walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.” (2 Cor. 10:3) At the first sign of a spiritual attack we need to pray. During a crisis, prayer is our direct line to the Lord who is always on call and ready to answer the alarm!
David knew the power of prayer, and placed his trust in the hands of God. Hands that belong to the greatest Rescuer, Protector, Deliverer, Healer, and Savior of all. And although times have changed since David walked the earth, sin hasn't. The same emergencies that David prayed to be delivered from are ones we face every day.
“Set a guard, O Lord over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (vs. 141:3) Have you ever been involved in a “hit and run”? You sideswipe someone with your lips by telling a little white lie, sharing a harmless bit of gossip, or giving an unasked for piece of “constructive” criticism, and then go about your business.
“Do not incline my heart to any evil thing; to practice deeds of wickedness with men of iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies” (vs. 141:4) Have you ever had a “slip and fall”? You find yourself eating that cake that isn’t on your diet, watching that movie you know better than to watch, or going against God to fit in with the crowd.
“Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; it is oil upon the head” (vs. 141:5) Have you ever received a blow hard enough to leave a “contusion”? Your ego finds itself on the receiving end of a righteous reprimand, a necessary yet loving correction, or an important but painful rebuke, leaving you with whiplash and your pride bruised and battered.
“In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless; keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me, and from the snares of those who do iniquity” (vs. 141:8:9) Have you ever been the victim of an “assault”? Someone purposely puts in a situation which goes against your beliefs, attempts to disqualify your testimony, or twist your words to make the Scriptures seem wrong.
No matter the emergency, God’s helpline is available anytime and anywhere. So when you find yourself in need of 911, call on Him. For to those who love Him the Lord promises, “Because he has loved me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.” (Ps. 91:14-15)
