May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14
Have you ever wondered if you talk too much? The University of Arizona conducted a study and found that most people speak around 16,000 words in a day. This number can vary depending on age, culture and other factors. 16,000 words each day sounds like so many words! It makes me wonder, “Do our words matter?” How many of my words please King Jesus? How many of my words make him sad? How about my tone? Does the tone of my words matter to the Lord?
We are probably very careful with our tone and words while at work or school. We must be, to remain professional and to avoid getting into trouble. Do our words matter to God while posting on social media? How about at home with the people we say we love the most, the people we say are most important in our lives? Do our words and tone used while speaking to our spouse or children always please God? We have all been in the uncomfortable situation at a checkout line or somewhere out in public and you hear an upset parent talking to their child or children in a very harsh, unkind manner. Are you a screamer when your children don’t listen to your words the first 500 times?
Sometimes we treat and talk to strangers with more kindness than we do our very own family. How can this be? It seems so very backwards. Scripture tells us that good comes out of a good heart and evil comes out of an evil heart. It finishes by saying, “…For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45. So, when we yell at our children or spouse, we can’t say they provoked us to harsh words, when the Bible says that our words are an overflow of what’s in our hearts. Ouch.
Maybe it’s time we do some business with the Lord and confess our sin, turn from it and ask for forgiveness. We can then finish up by asking for God’s strength and power to purify our hearts and mouths so that we can join the Psalmist in saying, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14. I want this to be my heart’s cry. Let it begin with me.
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