Taming the Tongue

Psalm 12:1

Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

...............

I have recently experienced the awful power of words in a way that left me feeling hurt, angry, and regretful all at once. There is a co-worker whom I see everyday and have developed a strong and affable working relationship. We've been to each others' homes. We've heard each others' life stories. We've discussed each others' beliefs in detail. But, after all that we've learned about each other over the past year, after all the controversial topics we have discussed, the issue that finally drove a wedge between us was none other than WalMart.

Without going into the details, I will just say that we left work one day having said some pretty antagonistic words to one another. I spent that evening churning and restless, trying to think of what I had said and what I could now say to make things right.

I was searching for words.

Apparently, King David knew something about the power of words as well, both for good and for ill. His enemies seem to be masters of flattery, deception, and malice. He prayed that God would cut off flattering lips - those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?" Seems like his enemies were so confident in their own strength that they saw their own lips as securing mastery over others. For them, the sword of the tongue was sufficient to slay their foes.

The words of the Lord, by contrast, expressed compassion, justice, and protection for the oppressed, a common theme among David's prayers. "Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise...I will place him in the safety for which he longs." David tells us that God's words are pure, that the substance of His words is dramatically different than the words of David's enemies. His enemies boast in their tongues; the Lord lifts up those in need with the promises of His word.

Read how this Psalm concludes and consider where you stand in this culture that throws words around like hand grenades. How have you used words to build up or tear down those around you? How have you trusted the promises of God, whose words are pure and full of compassion? How can you model that kind of tongue in your daily life? I hope and pray that the words I use at work will speak peace and compassion, rather than boasting and pride. I am sorry for what I said, and I will continue to do the hard work of taming my tongue, and by the grace of God, allowing my heart to be renewed and transformed to reflect more of God's Word.

You, O LORD, will keep them;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.