BE CAREFUL LITTLE MOUTH
DAY 53: I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me. But as I stood there in silence— not even speaking of good things— the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words..."
Does this scene sound familiar to you? Have you also had that experience of knowing that you should hold your tongue, but the more you tried the more the words just burned inside of you until they spewed out with force? The tongue is a powerful thing that sometimes even seems to overpower the rest of our body. Just tonight, at Bible Study no less, a thought came into my head and I instantly knew it probably was not the thing to say. Yet I could feel it moving from my head to my mouth, and I kid you not, that in a protective attempt to stop the flow I threw my hand over my mouth. Then, as if they had wrestled my fingers from my lips, the words managed to spill out anyway.
Yes, I could have written those words that began this blog, but I didn't - King David did, as he recorded them in Psalm 39. But do I ever relate to them! There is a difference though; as David describes how unwise thoughts burned in him, "igniting a fire of words" - he wisely chose to direct his words to God.
3 The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
4 “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”
I don't know what words were burning in David. The rest of the psalm makes it clear he was wrestling with God over many things in his life, including his own sin and God's discipline. Perhaps he had complaints against God on his mind, yet he knew better than to say them in the presence of "the ungodly" because it might be misinterpreted. Perhaps he was just being short tempered and cranky because God was dealing with him; so maybe he was close to using his tongue as a whip to lash out at people even more unworthy than him. We can only know what we know... but what we know is that in the face of the temptation to unbridled his tongue, David ran to the Lord.
And as he talked it all out with God, he came to one conclusion that certainly applies to the rest of us: Life is short - in fact, just a breath to God.
6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
How would my actions have changed as I sat with my hand covering my mouth if I remembered how little time I have here on earth? Would I have wasted the miniscule words allotted to my life saying things unneeded - or would I have invested my words more wisely? David concluded that in light of the vaporous nature of our existence there is only one appropriate response:
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
He chose to live his life, spend his words, pour out his heart, invest his existence - to glorify God. He desired to live his brief life importantly, significantly, purposefully for God. But he knew he could not do it alone.
8 Rescue me from my rebellion.
For even fools mock me when I rebel. . .
12 For I am your guest—
a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.
Whether my rebellion works its way out in words or deeds, David inspires me to run to God and have a talk, for He alone knows my heart and can lead me in the right paths on this short and fleeting journey as I pass through to my real and lasting home.
Day 53 of 365
Leviticus 13
Mark 6:1-29
Psalm 39:1-13
Proverbs 10:10
Does this scene sound familiar to you? Have you also had that experience of knowing that you should hold your tongue, but the more you tried the more the words just burned inside of you until they spewed out with force? The tongue is a powerful thing that sometimes even seems to overpower the rest of our body. Just tonight, at Bible Study no less, a thought came into my head and I instantly knew it probably was not the thing to say. Yet I could feel it moving from my head to my mouth, and I kid you not, that in a protective attempt to stop the flow I threw my hand over my mouth. Then, as if they had wrestled my fingers from my lips, the words managed to spill out anyway. Yes, I could have written those words that began this blog, but I didn't - King David did, as he recorded them in Psalm 39. But do I ever relate to them! There is a difference though; as David describes how unwise thoughts burned in him, "igniting a fire of words" - he wisely chose to direct his words to God.
3 The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
4 “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”
I don't know what words were burning in David. The rest of the psalm makes it clear he was wrestling with God over many things in his life, including his own sin and God's discipline. Perhaps he had complaints against God on his mind, yet he knew better than to say them in the presence of "the ungodly" because it might be misinterpreted. Perhaps he was just being short tempered and cranky because God was dealing with him; so maybe he was close to using his tongue as a whip to lash out at people even more unworthy than him. We can only know what we know... but what we know is that in the face of the temptation to unbridled his tongue, David ran to the Lord.
And as he talked it all out with God, he came to one conclusion that certainly applies to the rest of us: Life is short - in fact, just a breath to God.
6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
How would my actions have changed as I sat with my hand covering my mouth if I remembered how little time I have here on earth? Would I have wasted the miniscule words allotted to my life saying things unneeded - or would I have invested my words more wisely? David concluded that in light of the vaporous nature of our existence there is only one appropriate response:
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
He chose to live his life, spend his words, pour out his heart, invest his existence - to glorify God. He desired to live his brief life importantly, significantly, purposefully for God. But he knew he could not do it alone.
8 Rescue me from my rebellion.
For even fools mock me when I rebel. . .
12 For I am your guest—
a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.
Whether my rebellion works its way out in words or deeds, David inspires me to run to God and have a talk, for He alone knows my heart and can lead me in the right paths on this short and fleeting journey as I pass through to my real and lasting home.
Day 53 of 365
Leviticus 13
Mark 6:1-29
Psalm 39:1-13
Proverbs 10:10
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