How Controlled is Your Mouth?

The first entry in this mini-series can be found here.
The previous entry can be found here.

Does your mouth ever get you in trouble?
Do you say things you regret (and then find that regret leads to depression)?
Do you feel like you are fighting a losing battle with your tongue?

As we have seen throughout the three weeks prior in this study, David was in a bit of a fix. King Saul had been chasing David and his men with the intent of murder in his heart.

And here David is: on the one hand, Saul is unprotected; on the other, David’s men are begging him to kill Saul.

David prays. He knows he stands no hope of honoring God unless he turns his heart to God in prayer. Killing the Lord’s anointed is not what God wants him to do, so he prays.

He prays God would hurry to his aid, and he prays his prayer would be pleasing to God. Verse 3 begins the situation-specific requests:

“Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.”

David knows it would be easy for him to curse King Saul, even if he refrained from actually laying a hand on him, so he prays for God to guard his mouth.

It is not enough for us to watch our mouths. We are not good at this. We must plead with God to watch our mouths for us. He is the only one with the power to successfully and victoriously guard our mouths.

David literally wants God to stand guard at his mouth and only let out things that are pleasing to God. David does not–in this context–want to sin against Saul with his mouth when he refuses to sin against Saul with his might.

So i must turn this question to us:

How much do we desire that God would guard our mouths?
Do we want to please Him in every way–including with our tongues?
If so, do you pray that God would be the one controlling your tongue?

If you don’t pray this but you claim to desire it, it shows a disconnect in your heart. And if you don’t even desire it, just look ahead at verse 6, so you can recognize that by not desiring to please God with your mouth–or the other body parts described in verses 4-5–you will end up in certain destruction if you do not repent and start living for His glory.

God knows us better than we know us. Our tongues are dangerous (cf. James 3). God is much more powerful than either us or our tongues. Let’s entrust Him with them everyday and pray that only what is pleasing to Him might come forth from them.

This is the way to victory in time of trouble.

Soli Deo Gloria
Sola Fide

The next entry can be found here.