A Simple Three-Word Prayer
I’ve been thinking a lot about simple prayers, short prayers, pinpoint prayers, three-word prayers. I like three-word prayers. They’re easy to remember and easy to get out. No fluff, no long preamble, no King James jargon, just to-the-point praying.
So here’s one I’ve been praying for a while: No vile thing. When I say No vile thing to God, he knows exactly what I mean.
The prayer comes from Psalm 101. It’s one of David’s many prayers for integrity. Here’s part of what he says: I will be careful to lead a blameless life– when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me, Psalm 101:2-3.
I love those two lines–I will walk in my house with a blameless heart and I will set no vile thing before my eyes.
I can’t really speak to what David considered vile, but I know what I battle every day. Graphic sexual and violent images are everywhere. They’re actually part of our entertainment. It’s very easy to set vile things before our eyes today; it’s just part of how we live.
But men and women of integrity push back on such images. We determine not to gaze upon such damaging and degrading things. We choose to look away, to look elsewhere, to change the channel, to walk out of the movie, to click off the website, to look away from the billboard, to turn the other direction from the alluring person.
I bet I pray this pray a hundred times a day. I just say it to the Lord whenever I’m given the opportunity to look at something evil–no vile thing. Will you pray it too? No vile thing.
When the news starts to play the 911 tapes of a mass shooting simply because they’re sensational–no vile thing.
When a Victoria Secret ad pops up-no vile thing
When a movie promotes wanton violence–no vile thing.
When your co-workers are taking a Vegas trip or a Yellow Rose happy hour–no vile thing.
Lord Jesus, today I ask for you to give me the strength to look at or listen to NO VILE THING. Amen.
