Our Daily Bread

Psalm 141 

A psalm of David.

1I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me;

hear me when I call to you.

2May my prayer be set before you like incense;

may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

3Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;

keep watch over the door of my lips.

4Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil

so that I take part in wicked deeds

along with those who are evildoers;

do not let me eat their delicacies.

5Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;

let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.

My head will not refuse it,

for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

6Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,

and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.

7They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,

so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”

8But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord;

in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.

9Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,

from the snares they have laid for me.

10Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

while I pass by in safety. 

 

 

Devotional

Cracked Lenses

- Bill Crowder
I started wearing glasses when I was 10 years old. They are still a necessity because my 50-something eyes are losing their battle against time. When I was younger, I thought glasses were a nuisance—especially when playing sports. Once, the lenses of my glasses got cracked while I was playing softball. It took several weeks to get them replaced. In the meantime, I saw everything in a skewed and dis- torted way.
In life, pain often functions like cracked lenses. It creates within us a conflict between what we experience and what we believe. Pain can give us a badly distorted perspective on life— and on God. In those times, we need our God to provide us with new lenses to help us see clearly again. That clarity of sight usually begins when we turn our eyes upon the Lord. The psalmist encouraged us to do this: “My eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; in You I take refuge; do not leave my soul destitute” (141:8). Seeing God clearly can help us see life’s experiences more clearly.
As we turn our eyes to the Lord in times of pain and struggle, we will experience His comfort and hope in our daily lives. He will help us to see everything clearly again.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace. —Lemmel
Focusing on Christ puts everything in perspective.