Thinking & Understanding
The psalmist desires that his prayer be offered up before the Lord as incense and as the evening sacrifice. Above all, he prays that his heart, words, and actions will remain pure and untainted by evil. It is his earnest plea not to become like the wicked, with their cunning ways (vv. 1-4). He then calls out for deliverance from the hands of the wicked, who continue to torment the righteous until the end. However, he trusts that when God judges the wicked, their false accusations will be exposed, and they will fall into the very traps they set (vv. 5-10).

What lesson is God teaching me?
Vv. 1-5 The psalmist first examines himself to ensure his heart is not inclined toward any evil. Likewise, Jesus taught us to pray, ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ (Matt. 6:13). When anger rises within us because of someone else’s wrongdoing, let us take time to examine ourselves to see if we are becoming like them?and pray accordingly.

V. 5 The psalmist recognises the value of being rebuked by the righteous and desires such correction. The rebuke of the righteous friend is a loving and necessary warning. Do I have a friend like this who keeps me close to Christ? If not, let us strive to be that kind of friend to others first.

Prayer
Dear God, help me not to compromise with sin or participate in evil.