Words Heal and Words Destroy

Psalms 19:14 ESV

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Jesus said in Matthew 12:34b, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” For if what is in our heart is acceptable to God than what comes out of our mouth will be a well spring of life to others. For if bitterness and hatefulness are in our hearts, then what proceeds from our mouths will be a disdain to those who hear it. If we intend to sting someone with our words, then is vile present in our heart? Even when Paul would rebuke some of the churches that he oversaw, because of their unfaithfulness, he did it with purpose and his words were seasoned with grace to rebuke but also to restore at the same time. It takes the Holy Spirit to do both at the same time. If we want God to bless our words, then I suppose we are asking God to season our hearts, cleanse our minds, and anoint our spirits, so that our words turn the individual and rebuild their character. We cannot heal if our intent is to hurt the way we have been hurt. This devotion did not come from an occurrence of late, but from a lifetime of hearing people’s hearts displayed through their words.

Prayer:

Lord, all I can pray this morning is a verse that my mother taught me as a child that I’m still learning to heed sixty years later; “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” In Your name Lord Jesus I ask, Amen!