“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”
– Proverbs 6:16–19
So, let’s pray, in a sense, against these things in our lives. Let’s ask God to keep us, and guard us from these things. Oh, God, we want to hate what you hate. We want to hate evil. We want to hate that which is an abomination to you. And we want to love what you love. We want to love righteousness. So we pray today. Keep us from haughty eyes. Keep us from proud eyes, perspective. Lord, keep us, we pray, guard us from a lying tongue. Help us to speak honestly, we pray. Help us to live with honesty and integrity.
We pray for God to help us walk in righteousness.
Proverbs 6:16–19 Calls Us to Guard Our Hearts
Guard us from hands that shed innocent blood, that hurt others. God help us not to hurt others. Guard us, we pray, from a heart that devises wicked plans. God, we pray that you would keep us from devising anything that is not good and holy and righteous. Keep us from devising things that seem too good to us, but are dishonoring to you. Keep us from a heart that devises wicked plans. Guard us from feet that make haste to run to evil.
Proverbs 6:16–19 Challenges Us to Run from Sin
God, may our feet make haste to run to righteousness. Lord help us not to flirt with sin, not to rationalize sin, not to run to sin, but to run from sin. Keep us from feet that make haste to run to evil. God, keep us from being a false witness who breathes out lies. May our words always be true, we pray. May our words always be true. And keep us, we pray, from becoming those who sow discord among brothers.
This Leads Us to Pursue Unity
Lord, we want to sow unity among brothers and sisters. Keep us from being divisive in any way. Help us to promote unity among your people. Unity with people around us. So, God, help us to hate these things, because you hate them. And help us to live in righteousness in a way that glorifies you by avoiding these things. God, we need your grace to do that today. So, help us to walk in righteousness, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
