"Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities...." (Psalm 141:1-10 KJV).
Like David, we call on the Lord to hurry up and pay attention to us when we have a problem. When we are in trouble, we'll promise to do anything for God - like pray or (Heaven forbid) lift up our hands in a sacrifice of praise.
"God, if You'll answer my prayer the way I want, I'll do anything for you!" How many times has God heard that waiting-to-be-broken promise of a prayer? David was a man willing to take correction. "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips!"
Here we have a problem. James tells us that "the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity" (James 3: 6). It's the most uncontrollable organ in the body. To correct it takes the "excellent oil" of the Holy Spirit who alone can take control of the stubborn rudder.
That is why, on the Day of Pentecost, the believers all began to speak in tongues "as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). With the Holy Spirit in control, 3,000 people were saved that day; and with the Holy Spirit's guard, we are free to be "witnesses" who go into all the world to preach the Gospel.
If we are ready for correction, it's right there waiting for us in the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3: 16). With it, we can escape safely from our problems.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, please correct me and be the guard over my mouth. Amen.
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