A placard, hung on the wall of a home, said, “Bless this Mess!” This really captures the hectic thought-life that many of us have. We would never deliberately say these words, but, in practicality, it shows how we live. We are in a hurry, reacting to situations, rather than carefully responding to them. Prayer is an after-thought, after we have already leaped and are now reaping results from our decisions and actions. What if prayer became a “first resort,” instead of a “last resort”? Perhaps you are not as careless as what is described here. Nevertheless, Psalm 141 is a wonderful menu of how to categorically present yourself before the Lord and make requests in the areas of your life that are important to Him.

Psalm 3:8 says, “Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah.” Salvation is the plan of God and the work of God to remove people from the curse and power of sin, as well as the deception of Satan. They are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. They go from condemnation to forgiveness, acceptance and blessing. See Jonah 2:8-9; John 3:16-18; 5:24; Romans 6:17-18; II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:3-7; Colossians 1:12-14; I Peter 1:3-5; Revelation 1:5-6. Though God’s people have been blessed and are secure in their position of blessedness, it is imperative that they continually seek the blessing of the Lord in their every-day life (Matthew 6:7-13; 7:7-11; Philippians 4:6-7; I Thessalonians 5:17; Luke 18:1-8; I Peter 5:6-7). Now let’s examine the example of Psalm 141 to develop a godly prayer life.

Bless what goes up (everything spoken to God) – Psalm 141:1-2
For our prayer to be “set before You” is to imply that our words should be well-thought. The Hebrew word means “to set or stand something upright – to prepare or establish.” Prayer is compared to a priest, burning incense or arranging and preparing the evening sacrifice before God. Note Psalm 5:1-3, where our prayer is “directed” to the Lord (i.e. “ordered, prepared, laid before” the Lord). The Hebrew word means “to set in a row – to put in order.” Spontaneous, instant prayer to God is welcomed and is necessary, but regular prayer, preceded by thought and Scripture meditation, should be a regular part of our personal worship (Hosea 14:2; Habakkuk 2:1).

Bless what goes out (everything spoken to man) – Psalm 141:3
Consider that God wants purity and consistency of what goes on between our heart and mouth towards our fellow man (Psalm 19:14; Matthew 12:33-37; Ephesians 4:25, 29-32; 5:4; James 3).

Bless what goes in (everything that I allow to influence me) – Psalm 141:4
Consider that we are responsible for allowing people and the influences of the world to control us. How do we handle and receive various forms of media and entertainment? See Psalm 101; Proverbs 4:23-27; Romans 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17 cp. Philippians 4:8.

Bless what goes on (everything that happens between brethren) – Psalm 141:5-6
Consider the way we handle correction from the brethren. Are we our brother’s keeper? How we care for our brethren and minister to them is very important to the Lord (Matthew 18; John 13:1-17; Galatians 6:1-10; Ephesians 4:17 – 5:2; 5:18-21; 6:18; Hebrews 6:10; I Peter 1:22).

Bless my bones (everything that happens to my body and soul) – Psalm 141:7-8
Sometimes, the word “soul” refers to our physical life. God “breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) Our physical and emotional self is a matter of concern to bring before God. Our lives are in His hands. Do not let the enemy distract us. Keep your eyes (mind) on the Lord! Consider Psalm 31; 33:18-22; 116:1-9; 130; Isaiah 26:3 Matthew 6:11,25-34; Acts 17:24-28; II Corinthians 1:3-10; 4:1-18; I Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:14-16; 12:1-3.

Bless my path (everything my enemy designs will end in failure) – Psalm 141:9-10
Life is described as “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4). These shadows imply enemies and danger. With Christ as our Savior / Shepherd and God as our Father, we have the promise that our enemies will not triumph over us. Consider Romans 8:28-39; 16:20; Isaiah 54:17; Micah 7:7-9; Psalm 9; 23; 25; 31; John 16:33; I John 5:4-5.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A Recap of Psalm 141

Fidelity in Our Prayer life – Psalm 141:1-2
Filtration of our Words – Psalm 141:3
Filling our Hearts – Psalm 141:4
Fellowship of the Saints – Psalm 141:5-6
Focusing on the Lord during danger – Psalm 141:7-8
Failure of the Enemy – Psalm 141:9-10