“Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness” (Psalm 141:3-4 NLT).
David understood that he needed help controlling his speech. Only the Lord can tame the tongue. So, David prayed that God would take control of his words and set a guard over his lips.
The Spirit inspired the apostle James to write about the same topic saying, “If we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way” (James 3:2). He concludes the matter writing, “No one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8).
Only the Lord can tame the tongue. So be careful about what you say. First, ask the Lord to take control of your tongue as David did. Then seek to be a blessing to others as Paul instructed, “Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Eph. 4:29).
And remember to always listen before speaking. For the Lord gave us two ears and only one mouth. Therefore, “be quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19).
PRAYER: O Lord, teach us to give our first words to You every morning, so that the rest of the day they might be under Your control. Only You can tame the tongue. Fill us afresh with Your Spirit that our lips may offer acceptable worship to You and be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name, amen.