April 2, 2023

Psalm 39: 1-3  I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth . . .” But even when I was silent and still . . . my anguish increased. My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue. (NIV)

A closed mouth gathers no feet.*

Often, when I read the Psalms, it feels like David lives inside my head. Like David, I have been in volatile situations where I have prayed, “Lord, help me to keep my mouth shut.” And then, suddenly and unexpectedly, out spews words that should not have been spoken by me, at that moment, with that attitude. What went wrong? Why didn’t God answer my prayer to suppress my unwise speech?

First, a reminder about God: he hears and answers prayers, but he doesn’t override our free will. I may have prayed for restraint but I didn’t really want it. In my heart, I knew that the people responsible for my frustration really needed to hear what I had to say. And my heart was wrong.

Of course, you have had similar experiences. What can we do to avoid a repeat performance? Don't wait until the heat of the moment to pray. Pray for wisdom and discernment: wisdom to know what to say; discernment to know when to say it. And pray for a pure heart. Because sometimes you should keep your mouth shut, and sometimes you shouldn’t. There will be rare occasions when you are the right person to deliver the message in that time and place – and you certainly don’t want to miss your chance!

I wonder how many times God was armed and ready to do battle on my behalf and I sabotaged his miraculous deliverance with my own mouth?*