Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds (Psalm 141:4a)
Just as light reveals what is hidden, difficult times can reveal the sin that is in our hearts. In this prayer of desperation, David urgently pleaded for God’s help (v1). And in his prayer, he asked God to guard his lips (v2), protect his heart (v3) and turn him away from pursuing evil desires (v4). David is aware that in hard times there is a temptation to turn to speaking evil against one’s enemies and envying their life and experiences.
In our struggles, the tendency is the same. We may want to verbally blast those who we are in conflict with. Or we may crave the perceived pleasure and experiences of those who do not follow Jesus. We may even notice our desires and daydreaming gravitate towards experiencing “their delicacies” at the expense of dishonoring God.
Like David, we need God to intervene as we look to Him (v8) as our greatest delight and Savior. Don’t run away from God with your struggles but run to Him with it. He is more than sufficient to save you!