Wise Words

Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction. The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

Proverbs 18:20-21

Words have power. They can lift up, or they can tear down. Knowing what power our words have, aren’t you glad to know that God has promised to instruct our words and train our tongues? “The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away” (Isaiah 50:4-5).

The NIV translates the beginning of the passage this way: “The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue.” Why does he instruct our tongues and give us his words of wisdom? So that we will know exactly what to say to comfort the weary. There is no formulaic language that will transfer from one situation to the next. Each person’s heart will be lifted by specific words that only the Holy Spirit knows. He can instruct your tongue on the spot.

How often does he train us? Morning by morning. The Lord asks for the firstfruits of our days—the first morning hours—for giving us instruction, like a rabbi instructing his eager students. He awakens us in the morning to teach us and to pour himself into us. It’s easy to choose more sleep time over time with him, but often it is the slacker’s way and leads to an unkempt life instead of to a cultivated, rich life.

What is our response once he has spoken to us? To hear and respond. To listen every moment and hear well in our solitary time with him. Then we have his words to speak to those around us. God’s words are never empty. They do just what he sent them out to do. They bring life to those around us.

Lord, let my words be the echo of yours.

There will come a time when three words, uttered with charity and meekness, shall receive a far more blessed reward than three thousand volumes written with disdainful sharpness of wit.

Richard Hooker(1554–1600), English theologian