Prayer for Wisdom and Forgiveness
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
“I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.” I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue: “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah
Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them. “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.
Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it. Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; surely every man is vapor. Selah
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more.”
“I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.” I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned.”
There’s an old saying that “Silence is golden.” This psalm would bear that out. Throughout David’s long career as a warrior and king, many times he was surrounded by those who would readily report anything he said in hopes of gaining favor with those in authority or with those planning rebellion. Many of us might be able to identify with that problem!
“Then I spoke with my tongue: “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.” No matter our position, we are all human and our lives are fleeting in comparison with an almighty eternal God.
“Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them. “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.” There is a book entitled “Money Talks: It Says Good-bye!” Anyone who follows the stock market knows the truth of that statement. When we fix our hopes on anything or anybody other than God, we are fooling ourselves.
“I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it.” Sometimes God stops us when we are about to say something rash, keeping us from saying things we will later regret. One lady who had found the Lord realized that each time she was about to say something to her husband about her new-found faith, God stopped her. She said that God had put a golden zipper over her mouth. Eventually, her husband was so intrigued by the changes he saw in his wife that he abandoned his selfish lifestyle and began following Jesus as well. Had God not stopped this lady, she would have lectured her husband, driving him further away from God.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
“before I go away and am no more.” David is in despair, feeling that God is ignoring his pleas for help and perhaps even punishing him.
APPLICATION: One of the reasons the psalms are so popular is that the emotions expressed are real and not sugar-coated. Depending on which psalm you read, the writer may be praising God or shaking his fist in anger. In this psalm, David appears anxious and depressed, wanting to speak out but concerned that if he does so, he will be handing his head on a platter to his enemies. In such a state, David wonders if God is punishing him and begs God to remember that he, David, is only human and that his life is a vapor.
Remain in leadership long enough and you will find yourself identifying with practically every psalm. One of the challenges in leadership is a lack of discretion amongst subordinates who choose to leak sensitive information in hopes of gaining favor or influence with others. Under such circumstances, the only Person with whom you can really share your concerns is God; all those around you will repeat anything you say and possibly twist it while they are at it. When David says, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me,” you say, “Amen, brother!”
Shakespear once said, “Lonely lies the head that wears the crown.” Leadership is a lonely business, but praise God, we can always bring our concerns to Him, knowing that He hears and understands. Perhaps today you find yourself surrounded by people who are simply waiting for you to say the wrong thing so that they can use your words against you. Remember this: King David survived and so will you. God is still on the throne and He can give you perfect guidance and when necessary, “put a golden zipper over your mouth.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we beg You to hear the prayers of all those in leadership who feel beleaguered and set about with underlings ready to mis-report every word. Thank You for guiding these people and giving them Your wisdom and grace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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