“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3)
When we need to make an important decision, we may ask the Lord God for wisdom. When we are facing a difficult task, we pray for strength. Likewise, we may ask the Lord for help in bridling our tongue, for that can be very hard! We cannot do it in our own strength.
In Psalm 141, David asks the Lord to guard the door of his lips. In doing so, he actually surrenders control of his life to God. David knows himself and he is aware that sometimes he is too quick or careless with his words. He does his best to choose his words with care, but he struggles. We find the same concern in the letter to the Romans, where Paul laments, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). Does this sound familiar to you? You don’t want to gossip, you don’t want to act snippy, you don’t want to appear insensitive … but your tongue is faster than your brain. And all the regrets in the world can’t take your words back.
If you are struggling with this, echo David’s prayer: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth!”