Occupy My Mind Oh Lord

Ellsworth Quammie's “Occupy My Mind, Oh Lord” is a prayer to be guarded against temptation. The singer asks, “Occupy my mind, Lord, I don't want the devil in. He is working very hard to fill my heart with sin.” The enemy is described as one who “shoots from every angle with weapons great and small,” and the answer is trust that God is “able to shield me from them all.”

The refrain gives the singer's resolve: “Guide my heart, Lord, You are my best friend. I don't wanna be a devil's child again.” The bridge borrows a line from the psalms, “Let the words of my mouth, the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight,” and adds, “Lord, help me to live right.” The last verse asks God to “saturate my soul” with his love and expresses readiness for the home above. The closing lines repeat “a devil's child again,” followed by “Not again, not again.” The song is plainly worded and uses repetition so that people can sing the prayer as a group or alone.

The prayer for acceptable words and thoughts is Psalm 19:14. The shield of faith is Ephesians 6:16, and a renewed mind is Romans 12:2.