By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
GEMS FOR MEDITATION AND PRAYER
THEME FOR THE WEEK: COUNSELS FROM THE PSALMS: PART XVII
SUNDAY
THEME: SET YOUR EYES UPON GOD”
SCRIPTURE: Psalms 141:8
“But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.”
REFLECTIONS
In this world of sin, chaos, troubles, and uncertainties, we can rely on only God for our safety and security. There is no moment when we are not exposed to peril and danger. Indescribable darkness marked by evil surrounds us all the time. Enemies used by the evil forces lurk in our way, seeking to devour those who have put their trust in the Lord. But God remains our light, refuge, and hiding place to ensure our safe passage – in Him, the enemy is disabled, disarmed, disoriented, and divinely immobilized.
In Psalms 141, David prays to God for protection from wickedness, hoping to secure heavenly support to thwart the effect wicked people and wickedness can have on him. He passionately pleads, “My Eyes Are Upon You, O God.” This psalm is instructive. In verses 1-2, he pleads, “[1]Lord, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. [2]Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” We cry to our heavenly Father for His help, always readily available to the seeker. He has made prayer the avenue to reach Him irrespective of time and place. The Christian’s foremost privilege is to speak to God in prayer.
David requests that his prayer be as incense to rise to the throne of mercy for God’s response. The prayers of the saints are deemed incense that rises to God (read Revelation 5:8; 8:3). In the sanctuary, incense was offered twice – morning and evening from the altar. A writer has encouraged families to set their family altars to offer prayer in the morning and evening to God—the rising prayers from the altar are sweet-smelling incense to our Divine Father. The prayers of the saints are deemed precious before His merciful throne. David pleads further, “[3]Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. [4]Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies” – verses 3-4. To be protected from sinning should be our daily desire. Because of the profound implications of what we say, David’s prayer for help not to utter unguarded, unmeasured, and distasteful words must be embraced.
Unlike most of us, David welcomed rebuke from a righteous person. In verse 5, he says, “Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.” This exemplifies a person who is open to constructive criticism. Abhor evil, avoid evil speaking, and detest works of unrighteousness but accept rebuke in good faith. Importantly, put your confidence and trust in the Lord as David did. He prays in verse 8, “But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.” God, your refuge will keep you from the snares the wicked may lay and the traps they set for you. Your escape is assured in the Lord (vv. 8-10). Just keep your eyes on God.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 622 – “Come, Come, Ye Saints”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for a new week; thank Him for sustaining and providing for you; pray to set your eyes on Him this week;
– Pray for Christians who are not firm in their commitment to God to sit up; pray for Christians and leadership to accept godly rebuke and to correct others in righteousness and with empathy;
– Pray for Christians who have no guard over their lips, those who enjoy being where evil gravitates, and young people in all forms of addiction;
– Pray for strong family relationships, calm and respectful disposition of leaders towards their followers, spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as a witness about His soon return.
