May my prayer be corrected by the Will of the Lord, full text and when Psalm 140 is read

May my prayer be corrected as the incense before You,
the lifting of my hand, the evening sacrifice.

Lord, I called to You, hear me:

Hear the voice of my prayer, and always cry out to You.

Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth, and a guard over my mouth.

Do not turn my heart into words of wickedness, and do not bear the guilt of sins.

Translation

May my prayer be corrected like a censer before You,

The raising of my hands is like the evening sacrifice.

Lord, I called to You, hear me!

Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry to You.

Guard, O Lord, my lips and guard the doors of my mouth.

Do not let my heart deviate towards evil words that justify oneself from sins.

Listen to the prayer performed by the choir:

At divine services, psalms are read frequently, occupying approximately 20% of the texts. These are the most ancient prayers or, in other words, Songs that were written over a thousand years. In monasteries they are taught by heart, read continuously, and some are recognized as one of the most powerful verses that help in various everyday situations.

Among them there are teaching, wisdom, prophetic, laudatory, God-glorifying, repentant and lamenting songs. Psalm of David 140 can be classified as one that admonishes and teaches how a righteous person should behave. The psalter is a musical instrument. We have not received information about what he looks like, but the poems are interpreted by many authors.

Psalm 140 or “Let my prayer be corrected”

To understand the meaning of the psalm, you need to dive into its historical roots. It is believed that David wrote this song at a time when he was facing a mortal threat from King Saul. In order to maintain power, the king was ready to kill his son-in-law, David, although he had no intention of overthrowing his father-in-law from the throne. Under threat of physical harm, David was forced to flee. It was then that he turned to God through a verse.

Speaking about his innocence, he asked for protection from the Almighty and deliverance from bitterness towards his offenders. His secret words contain his meekness, his readiness to suffer punishment for all his previously committed sins.

The psalm, used in church hymns, fits into four lines, each having a hidden meaning and teaching a righteous life.

• The first line of the psalm talks about mindfulness. “Let it be corrected” means that it is being carried out regularly. That is, when pronouncing any appeal to God, you should concentrate on every word, every sound, put true repentance and unconditional love into them. Only then will a person’s aspirations easily rise to Heaven, like smoke from a censer. Otherwise, prayer will be difficult and mundane.
• The second line of the verse draws attention to aspects that need to be kept in mind while praying. It happens that believers, having learned a prayer by heart, read it mechanically, without thinking about the meaning, without investing feelings, and being distracted by extraneous thoughts. Will such a prayer, burdened with earthly petty concerns, devoid of feelings, reach God? Most likely no. Since the Almighty responds to our spiritual impulses, sincerity, ability to repent, open hearts.
• The third line of the prayer speaks of idle talk. The person praying turns to the Lord asking for help in eliminating talkativeness. Indeed, empty talk and a huge stream of empty thoughts distract people from the main thing - spirituality, finding a true goal, service. The lives of some people are also marred by foul language and swear words.
• The fourth line of the psalm is about self-justification and repentance. People who look for an excuse for themselves in any situation are doing the wrong thing. No matter what tricks the mind comes up with, shifting responsibility to others or life circumstances, the problem will not be resolved. If there is guilt, you should repent before God.

The instructive text of the prayer calls for the external and internal world of a person to come to harmony.

According to the traditions of the Orthodox Church, during the singing of the psalm, parishioners kneel before the Almighty.

History and meaning of prayer

The discovery that the discoverer is working on is not easy for him, but then becomes a treasure for many generations. In ancient times, people worked to get fire when two stones came into contact, but now it’s enough to strike a match and get fire. Edison made many attempts before the electric light bulb was revealed to the world, which we use without even thinking about it. The same thing happens in spiritual life.

The spiritual experience of one person, gained through labor and sorrow, becomes an asset for people of many eras and a source of enormous benefit. Just as the achievement of the scientists who discovered electricity gave us electric light, which we can have at any time by flipping a switch, so the spiritual experience of the great men of God is a source of blessed light and salvation for all who turn to Him.

Look at King David, the author of many psalms: his songs of praise are based on his own, sometimes dramatic, experiences. Some of them were written during sorrows, life trials, and even after sins that were comprehended and brought to the light of God in repentance. Others were written during deliverance from adversity. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit, born into a heart that loved God.

Despite all the trials, David remained righteous and devoted to the Lord. The Psalms written by David are full of power to fill our hearts with grace. The only thing we need to do is read them.

We will talk about Psalm 140. We will try to comprehend the use of this prayer poem at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the form of the chant “May my prayer be corrected.”

According to interpreters of Holy Scripture, the Psalm was written at a time when David was hiding from King Saul, who wanted to kill him, because he was afraid of losing the royal throne. David was married to Saul's daughter Michal. David had no intention of depriving Saul of power, but he was forced to flee and hide. His condition and thoughts are described in the psalm.

David calls out to the Lord and asks Him to hear the prayer. David realizes that he is innocent, and asks the Lord to deliver him from the snare that has been prepared for him, and that those who have conceived insidious plans will themselves fall into it. David also realizes his sinfulness and asks the Lord to put a barrier around his mouth so that He does not resort to self-justification. The psalmist understands that although he is not guilty, other sins are enough for the Lord to punish him.

If we turn to the chant “Let my prayer be corrected,” we will easily notice that only the first part of the psalm is used in it. Let's consider what semantic aspects of the psalm are applicable to modern life.

First of all, we pay attention to the fact that the chant is structured in the form of a prokeimenon (the first verse is sung first, and then it alternates with the three subsequent ones). This is followed by the singing of the main verse.

According to liturgical sources, in the Constantinople cathedral tradition, this chant was a prokeimenon. The reader sang it from the pulpit, and the clergy sat in the altar. In the 12th century, the Constantinople tradition was supplanted by the Studite monastic tradition.

During the performance, people kneel and the priest burns incense. Walking in incense smoke is a type of prayer.

Just as incense smoke rises upward, so does our prayer ascend to Heaven. We are sinful people, and our prayer is “flawed.” In prayer we ask the Lord to correct our prayer.

When to read

Psalm 140 is read (sung) at the evening church service in the “Lord, I have cried” block, alternately with Psalms 141, 129,116. During Lent it is performed during the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Specific days are Wednesday, Friday, the first 3 days of Holy Week.

It is useful to repeat the psalm yourself at home (in the morning or in the evening) to strengthen faith in the Lord and receive help from Higher powers.

Read this prayer in any dangerous situations when there is a threat to life, as well as:

• to repent of unseemly actions before the Lord;
• when you need to resolve a conflict with other people peacefully;
• to cope with family troubles;
• for a harmonious way out of unpleasant situations;
• if someone close to you acted unfairly;
• when a person has decided to get rid of foul language and needs help;
• to express gratitude and love to God.

History of writing

Psalm 140 was written by King David. Some commentators claim that the psalmist wrote during the time of persecution by King Saul. It was not easy for him then. David tried to prove his innocence and loyalty to the ruler, but it was all in vain. David could have killed Saul with his own hands, but he did not. He hoped only for the protection and help of the Lord.

Full text in Russian

The following text of the psalm is presented as it is sung in church:

Verse: May my prayer be corrected as the censer before You, the lifting of my hand, the evening sacrifice. Refrain: May my prayer be corrected as the incense before You, the lifting of my hand, the evening sacrifice. Verse: Lord, I have called to You, hear me: Hear the voice of my prayer, sometimes I will cry to You. Refrain. Verse: Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth, and a guard over my mouth. Refrain. Verse: Do not turn my heart into words of wickedness, and do not bear the guilt of sins. Refrain.

This prayer has been translated into a more convenient form. It can be read in full as follows:

May my prayer become like a censer before You, the raising of my hands like an evening sacrifice. Lord, I called to You, hear me! Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry to You. Guard, O Lord, my lips and guard the doors of my mouth. Do not let my heart deviate towards evil words that justify oneself from sins. Let the righteous punish me: this is mercy; let him reprove me: this is the best oil, which will not hurt my head; but my prayers are against their atrocities. Their leaders are scattered along the cliffs and hear my words that they are meek. It’s as if the earth is being cut and crushed; our bones are falling into the jaws of hell. But to You, Lord, Lord, my eyes are; I trust in You, do not throw away my soul! Save me from the snares set for me, from the snares of the wicked. The wicked will fall in their snares, but I will cross over.

Orthodox wedge

David stayed in the desert in inaccessible places and then on a mountain in the desert of Ziph. Saul sought him every day; but God did not deliver David into his hands!

(1 Samuel 23:14)

Any true discovery that comes to the discoverer, as a rule, is very difficult, then becomes an easily accessible property of all subsequent eras. Once upon a time, they realized that fire could be produced from the contact of two stones, although this required work. Today we get fire with a light movement of a match. Once upon a time, the invention of electric light was born after the difficult scientific experiments of Yablochkov and Edison. Today we turn on this light with a simple click of a key. Forms change - from primitive to more advanced, but the essence remains the same.

The same thing happens in the spiritual life of humanity. The spiritual experience of one person, when this person is holy, the experience gained through labor and sorrow, becomes the property of many generations and eras, a source of great good for countless people. Just as the achievement of those learned men who discovered electricity gave us light at any time of the day and all the accompanying benefits, so the spiritual experience of the great spirit-bearing men becomes a source of gracious light and salvation for all those who partake of it.

Look at King and Psalmist David. His psalms are the experience of his spiritual life, salted by sorrows and adversities. Quite a few of them were written during various life trials and even after the sins that happened in his life, which he later comprehended and repented of. Many of David’s psalms were written after deliverance from misfortunes, while others were even written in exile. But precisely because they were born in a suffering believing heart, which preserved righteousness and devotion to God during all trials, David’s psalms were rewarded with the influx of the Holy Spirit. And, being God-inspired, they have the power to fill our hearts with grace. You just need to put in a little effort in reading these psalms.

And we’ll talk about one of these psalms – Psalm 140 – today. More precisely, we, using a timely occasion - the time of Lent, will try to comprehend the liturgical use of this psalm at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the form of the chant “May my prayer be corrected.”

According to interpreters, the 140th Psalm was written by David at a time when King Saul, fearing the loss of power, planned to kill David (see: ch. 19–24 of 1 Sam.). Shocked to the core by his father-in-law's plan - David was married to Saul's daughter Michal - he was forced to flee, although he was innocent, for he had no intention of overthrowing the king. The entire psalm is filled with corresponding thoughts and feelings. David asks the Lord to hear his prayer. Realizing his innocence, he asks to be delivered from the snare that has been prepared for him; asks that those who arranged it themselves fall into this net, and he is delivered. On the other hand, David admits his sinfulness, asks the Lord to put guard on his lips, so as not to become embittered against the enemy, asks not to allow his heart to deviate towards self-justification. David understands that although he is not guilty of what he is accused of, his other sins are enough to bear punishment from the Lord.

This is the general semantic composition of this psalm. If we now turn to the chant “Let my prayer be corrected,” we will notice that only the first part of the 140th psalm is used in it. The structure of the arrangement of the verses of the psalm in this hymn and its place in the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts allows us to see some new semantic aspects of the psalm in relation to our spiritual life, which we will now try to do.

Firstly, attention is drawn to the fact that the chant “May my prayer be corrected” is structured in the form of a prokemena, that is, the main verse is sung first – “Let my prayer be corrected” itself, and then it alternates with the other three verses. At the end the main verse is sung again. Turning to liturgical sources, we actually find evidence that earlier in the Constantinople cathedral tradition this chant was a prokemne, the reader sang it from the pulpit, and the clergy sat in the altar. And much later, “in the Studite monastic tradition, which supplanted the cathedral tradition of Constantinople by the end of the 12th century, “May my prayer be corrected” ceased to be an ordinary prokeme; during its performance, the custom of popular genuflection and priestly censing gradually became established.”

While singing “Let Him Be Corrected...” you should kneel. Let us pay attention to the fact that this kneeling in the liturgical series is located between two other similar moments. Kneeling is performed before “Let it be corrected...” - with the exclamation “The Light of Christ enlightens everyone” - and shortly after “Let it be corrected...” - at the most important “Now are the powers of heaven.” Is this a coincidence? Don't think. Here is an indication of the most important semantic series in the liturgical space. In this series, the first genuflection is associated with the address to the catechumens preparing to receive holy baptism. This is an appeal that has significant doctrinal meaning. The last genuflection is associated with the most important moment of the Liturgy, when the Holy Gifts are transferred. Well, what is the reason for kneeling during the chant “May my prayer be corrected”?

The structure of the prokeemna inherent in this chant allows us to talk about its special moralizing character. It consists in the fact that the first and main verse of the chant points to the most important work of a Christian, the work that accompanies his entire life - prayer. The verses “laid” between the main one are an indication of the moments that contribute to success in prayer or, on the contrary, hinder it. This is a kind of spiritual multi-layered “pie”, in which the main layer acquires its true “taste” only in combination with others. Want to make sure this is true? Then let's move on.

1. “Let my prayer be corrected, like a censer before You, the lifting of my hand is an evening sacrifice.”

In the most important spiritual activity for a Christian - prayer - the main factor of success is attention. If it exists, and with it there is reverence and repentance, then prayer will rise to God like incense smoke, fragrant and constantly rushing upward. If there is no attention, then the prayer “spreads” across the earth, like the smoke of Cain’s sacrifice, and such a sacrifice, as we remember, was not pleasing to God. At the same time, paradoxical and sad as it may be, such a “Cain” sacrifice is the inevitable temporary lot of every Christian, for undistracted prayer is an “evening sacrifice,” that is, it is the fruit of many years of intense labor. And we often receive this fruit only in the “evening,” that is, closer to the end of life.

This is the main leitmotif of the chant. It contains an indication of the goal. The above-mentioned points follow in the “paved” verses.

2. “Lord, I have called to You, hear me: listen to the voice of my prayer, so that I may sometimes cry to You.”

Here is an indication of the qualities that real prayer has and which we must acquire for our prayer. And firstly, we are talking about the sincerity and repentant nature of prayer. This is how the great Chrysostom speaks about this: “What does the Psalmist express with the words: “Lord, I have called to You, hear me”? He means here an internal appeal, which is uttered by an inflamed heart and a contrite spirit, which, uttering, Moses was heard. Just as a person who calls with his voice strains all his strength, so he who calls with his heart strains all his mind. God requires such an appeal, an appeal that comes from the heart and does not allow the singer to yawn and have fun”[1].

Secondly, it is impossible not to notice: in the second part of the verse there is the same idea as in the first, only stated in different words. And this, not least of all, tells us about the need for constancy in prayer. Whoever wants to achieve undistracted prayer must pray constantly. It is no coincidence that the apostle calls: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Consistency in prayer is like a drop that wears away a stone. Like a small insignificant drop, which over time destroys even the stronghold of a stone, our weak but constant prayerful efforts are capable of destroying the sinful scab of the heart and introducing prayer into the heart, where it becomes truly strong and effective.

3. “O Lord, place a guard over my mouth, and a door of protection over my mouth.”

Nothing steals the fruit of prayer from the heart more than constantly open lips. That is why the Wise One calls: “Make a weight and a measure for your words, and a door and a lock for your mouth” (Sir. 28:29). We must ask God for “door protection” and “guarding” of our lips, because we are used to keeping our lips open and we say a lot of unnecessary things. No other sin is as “easy” and “pleasant” as idle talk. He is able to quickly “smooth out” a bad mood and carefully “cover up” laziness. He, like nothing else, gives us many “pleasant moments”, but at the same time takes away something very important - albeit small, but still a grace-filled fruit that our heart receives after our weak, but still prayer. Therefore, a Christian who sincerely prays for the correction of prayer, “like a censer,” should also sincerely fight against idle talk, verbosity and, of course, foul language. “Then you should only speak when words are more useful than silence” [2], and this, we agree, does not happen often.

4. “Do not turn my heart into words of deceit, and do not bear the guilt of sins.”

This seemingly complicated verse contains a fairly simple thought: “Do not turn my heart aside to evil words to concoct an excuse for sins.” Just as self-condemnation is a great good for a person, so self-justification is a great evil. This is how Saint John Chrysostom speaks about this: “You, beloved, when you sin, say: I have sinned. There is nothing more just than such an excuse. In this way you will appease God; in this way you will make yourself slower to commit the same sins. And if you begin to look for empty excuses and free your soul from fear, you will strengthen the disposition in it to again indulge in the same sins and greatly anger God.”[3]

Sin naturally generates in the soul a feeling of guilt and a feeling of the inevitability of punishment. There is a desire to hide from this somewhere. When a person does not fully understand the meaning of repentance, then self-justification arises as an attempt to hide from responsibility. Self-justification is the same as the ostrich's desire to escape from danger by burying its head in the sand. It's funny, but not only that. Self-justification gives rise to essential evil for a person: the more a person justifies himself, the more he is condemned by God. Therefore, that Christian who strives for undistracted and fruitful prayer must avoid self-justification, for asking God for mercy and at the same time attracting His condemnation is the same as building something with one hand and immediately destroying everything with the other.

Raising hands during prayer is a very ancient external form of addressing God, although in modern liturgical practice it is rarely used by priests. The main idea of ​​this form-image is to enable a person to express his aspiration towards God and Heaven as strongly as possible. Express and then - according to the principle of transition from external to internal - help his mind, his heart and will to strive towards God. The chant “May my prayer be corrected” is about this. This is a prayer that our outer piety may finally come into harmonious unity with our inner world. And that’s probably why our Orthodox people loved it so much.

[1] John Chrysostom, Saint. Conversations on the Psalms.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

Source:
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Reading rules

In order to use the sacred text of the psalm, you need to be a baptized person, wear a cross, and follow simple rules:

• Whenever turning to the Almighty, the main thing is sincere prayer and repentance. Therefore, you cannot pray in the bustle, or read a verse between tasks. You need to stop all worldly thoughts, emotionally prepare yourself for prayer, and tune in to higher matters.
• It is best to attend an evening or holiday church service. Chants will help you penetrate the hidden sounds of the psalm, feel involved in the sacred action, and fill your soul with the grace of the Lord.
• At home, the place to talk with God should be quiet and private. It’s good if a candle is lit and there is an icon in front of which it is advisable to kneel.
• It is wrong to read the prayer from case to case. Only daily appeals to the Almighty will help you always remain in a blissful state.

Reading prayers is our spiritual food, which really helps us live in a world full of worries, calmly, openly and happily.

Interpretation of Psalm 140

• Verses 1-4: The author simply asks for repentance, so that the Lord would not be angry with his enemies and give them life. He does not ask to punish the spiteful critics, he only asks for protection from them. If the Lord hears prayers, then justice will come.
• Verses 5-10: The Almighty will give strength to the believer to endure all difficulties. May every action be blessed. All prayers are against the evildoers and their deeds. The leaders of the wicked follow at the heels of the author, they have eyes everywhere. There is no hiding from them. The anger of enemies towards the singer is not fair. After all, there was never anything evil or bad in him and his actions.