Watching My Tongue...
2010-03-29

Thank you for a great weekend, Lord. We had good days, and Stephanie had really good days all weekend. And, for the most part, it seems to be carrying on. She had a rough morning today, but said that she had a bad headache this morning. The afternoon went better. But, even "normal" people don't have great days all the time.

Show me some truth and give me some wisdom today, Lord.



Psalm 39:1-3

1 I said, "I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence."
2 I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.
3 My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

There are a couple of good truths evident in this passage. The first is that we should never let off our steam or "vent" in the presence of unbelievers. David was committed to holding his tongue when "the wicked" were around. This is a good practice to uphold. People are always looking for something to hold against us. Especially those who are hostile towards Christians. This, of course, does not include all who don't believe in Jesus. There are many who simply don't care and won't bother us if we don't bother them. But there seems to be a segment of society that has it in for those of us who believe in Jesus. Regardless, we should hold our tongues around them. If I need to vent about something, I either need to keep it in the "family," or wait until I am alone and then just let loose when only God can hear me. Even within the "family," we must be careful about being a stumbling block to weaker or younger Christians. I might let fly a word or two that no one else needs to hear when I am venting. I need to be sure that only God is listening when those times happen. Not because I want anyone else to think I'm perfect or super-holy or anything like that. I want to clarify that. This is not to put up false pretenses. It is simply to not lead anyone astray with our actions.

The other truth in this passage is that we do need to allow our emotions to be released. David tried to hold his feelings in, and it just made things worse. His "heart became hot." His "distress grew worse." We can't just bottle up our emotions inside. They will explode, and usually at a most inopportune moment.

Here's a word from Don Wyrtzen on this passage: "David didn't acknowledge his feelings in front of the wicked. He restrained himself from venting them in the wrong company. Unrestrained ventilation could be misconstrued by unbelievers as disloyalty or even blasphemy."
(From A Musician Looks At the Psalms



Psalm 119:58

I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.

From the words of Matthew Henry: "Has God kindled in us desires toward spiritual blessings more than towards any temporal good things, and will he not be so kind as to satisfy those desires? Has he filled us with hopes of those blessings, and will he not be so just as to accomplish these hopes? He that did by his Spirit work faith in us will, according to our faith, work for us, and will not disappoint us. Those that make God's promises their portion may with humble boldness make them their plea. He that by his Spirit works faith in us will work for us. The word of God speaks comfort in affliction."

These are great words. They tell us that God will not ultimately disappoint. His timing may not be what we want, but he will come through. If he has placed within us the desire for spiritual blessings over temporal blessings, then he will give us those spiritual blessings. I believe we can count on that. God will not disappoint.



I thank you, Lord, that you will not disappoint us. After all, it is you that placed these desires within us, so how will you not grant the fulfillment of them? I pray for more spiritual desires within my heart. Help me to be more like the one who is spoken of in the Psalms when it says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Give me delight in you. But also, give me the motivation to work; to strive to be more holy. I am commanded by Scripture to "be transformed." This is active, not passive. I am to strive for this transformation. As I discovered yesterday (I think), I'm supposed to work at putting to death the desires of this flesh so that the desires of the spirit may flourish.

Also, Lord, give me grace to watch my tongue. My tongue has caused much trouble for me, throughout my life. It has gotten me in trouble in church positions, with my friends, and even with my family at times. Help me to know when it is appropriate to "vent." I know that we can share our feelings openly with you, especially since you already know how we are feeling. You will never be surprised or offended by our ventings. Other people will be. There's the danger, isn't it?

I lift up a quick prayer for my mother-in-law, who is in the hospital with a urinary tract infection. Please place your healing hand on her this evening.

I thank you that Rachel and her friends got back safely from Austin this weekend. I thank you that you put her in our lives 21 years ago this morning. She has been such a blessing to us. I pray that her life will be a blessing to others as she moves on toward whatever path she will be on.



Pay attention to who's around when you vent. And remember that God will not disappoint. He will do what he says, and if he has given you a desire, he will fulfill that desire. But also be patient, for it might not happen today.

Grace and peace, friends.



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