Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Cracked Lenses

1 O LORD, I call to You; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You.

2 May my prayer be set before You like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

4 Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.

5 Let a righteous man [a] strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers; 6 their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.

7 They will say, "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave. [b] "

8 But my eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.

9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

-Psalm 141