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PSALMS 19:14 “LET THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH, AND THE MEDITATION OF MY HEART, BE ACCEPTABLE IN THY SIGHT, O LORD, MY STRENGTH, AND MY REDEEMER.” (KJV, NKJV, NAS)
“May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.” (TLB)
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (NIV)
Great prayer. Easy to preach. Hard to live. Wow! Of course, one of the greatest reasons to memorize all of these verses of the Bible is so it will help me remember to do them. Sigh.
I’m sure I am not the only man alive that has a problem in this area. I don’t want to admit it, but sometimes the words of my mouth are anything but acceptable in the Lord’s sight. James talks a lot about this in his epistle in chapter 3:
“…the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire…no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” (James 3:1-9)
We have to include Proverbs in here: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing…The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly…a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit…The tongue has the power of life and death.” (Prov 10 to 18)
The Bible talks a lot about the tongue…how it can bless, but also curse. It is so common among our species that it goes without saying that it is unruly, unholy and can often go out of control. We love one another with it, but listen carefully and patiently and you will find that all of us slip out of control sometimes. Some never gain any control. And this isn’t a weakness found only in the world but is also pretty prevalent in the church too.
I find it easier to self-criticize my impatience driving because it is a weakness in my life that others have already seen. (See photo above) Thankfully, most of them have never heard me when I really get upset at the other driver and verbally “let them have it.” If we talk about my driving, we don’t have to talk about other weaknesses and sins that I don’t want to talk about.
This verse also says, “and the meditations of my heart.” I want them to be acceptable in the Lord’s sight too. Let’s not discuss that part. However, sometimes we think that what we think about can’t be seen by the Lord or have testimony about my heart to those around me. I’m probably wrong on both those points.
We give women the credit for gossip like the middle photo, but I have it on good authority that we men aren’t any better. As a matter of fact, we tend to not even pretend to whisper opinions in secret…we think there is a bold honesty in coming out and just saying what we think. But oh, what damage we can do!
The third photo is one I don’t even want to look at. As a hot-tempered red-head, I have known fits of rage at some injustice or having “someone do me wrong” and quickly told them what I thought, only to later have to apologize for my unholy behavior.
As with other areas of weakness in our lives, the only solution tends to be following the Holy Spirit’s leading to help me crucify that part of my flesh…again, and again, and again. I can’t control my own flesh in my own willfulness. Only by the Spirit do I ever have the power to “kill that thing!” It is a part of me that I HAVE to control. But, will I ever?
I am over 70 now. I have found that this many years on, I am starting to gain more control, with the help of the Holy Spirit, over my unruly tongue. As a speaker, teacher and preacher, it is one of my gifts to talk, teach and preach. But how quickly, can that still turn on me to reveal that this weakness isn’t dead yet? As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if, after decades of the Holy Spirit helping me grow more Christ-like, I don’t find that the tongue will be the very last instrument of my flesh that I gain any control over…right before I die.
Maybe the Psalmist finally gained control over the words of his mouth at the last too. Maybe his suggestion was that, memorizing and repeating the words from this verse over and over was a vital tool in helping him remember before he went too far and said something he regretted after. Or maybe, the prayer in Psalm 19:14 is a hope, a prayer, an earnest desire that we know we might never fully see.
Knowing that I have seen so many times before that this tongue expresses words not acceptable in the Lord’s sight I would pray, “Lord, take my tongue, remind me to not let it loose, help me to keep some of my opinions to myself, help me to bring what my heart meditates on under Your control so that what comes out of my mouth would be pleasing to you. I am not there yet, but I understand what he meant when he pleaded, Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart…somehow, sometime soon, come to always be acceptable in your sight oh Lord.”
Questions to Ponder: Is it possible to keep one’s mouth shut? Is that what this Scripture is suggesting? Will we ever gain complete control over our tongue in this life? Is it true that it is better to be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and prove it? This verse seems to suggest, not that we never speak, but that any words we say and any thoughts we think would be acceptable to the Lord? How do we get there? Does the old suggestion that we “count to ten before we respond or answer a question or speak” seem like a good idea? What does a Holy Spirit-controlled tongue sound like?
Other Scriptures to Consider: James 1:19, “Slow to speak” James 1:26, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” 1 Peter 3:10 “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” 1 John 3:18, “love not with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
A Song to Remember: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v= 2599750200343429
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 4gYh8umnTZ4
 
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