The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Prov. 12:18
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Prov. 18:21
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Prov. 16:24
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psa. 19:14
Dear Lord Jesus, I love words. I especially love the way you use words to bring me healing, freedom, and hope. You never shame me with words. You never manipulate me with words. You never hurt me with words. You never flatter me, but you do bring great encouragement.
You never repeat my failures to others; you only bring my sin and brokenness to the throne of grace—as you ever live to pray for your beloved Bride. You never say too much or too little. You neither mince words nor waste words. You alone have the words of life.
So my prayer is quite simple, yet very necessary: grant me greater stewardship of my words, Lord Jesus. As you speak to me, please speak through me. As you apply more grace to my life, may it be evidenced in all my conversations being salted and empowered with your grace. I’m painfully aware that my words can bring great harm and death, even as they can be a source of hope and life (Prov. 18:21). If I’m not careful, my words can have the effect of gangrene—bringing decay and rot (Eph. 4:29).
You tell me that my words are a sure reflection of what’s filling my heart: “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). So no mere promise to avoid gossip, idle chatter, reckless words, or coarse jesting will be enough. It’s not about tongue control as much as it is heart preoccupation.
Therefore, Lord Jesus, I realize that I must constantly be preaching the gospel to my heart—filling my mind with the good news of grace; setting my affections on things above; treasuring you, and your love, more than I treasure life itself. May the overflow of your grace be obvious to all. I want my tongue to be a scalpel for healing, Jesus, not a hammer for harm. So very Amen I pray, in your merciful and mighty name.
