Reading the Bible through with me? Then grab your pen and journal and read Job 4-6. Job 6:24 is part of Job’s response to Eliphaz and his friends. But it could be a beautiful prayer to God. “Teach me and I will be silent. Help me understand what I did wrong.” Read that first line again.
Have you ever had your tongue get in the way? You speak without thinking and it damages a relationship. You speak without thinking only to discover you had incomplete information. It can cause pain, destroy relationships, and ruin your testimony. It is amazing how one little muscle that weighs less than a pound can be responsible for so much stress and grief. The Bible has an abundance of instruction about our tongues. Two of the Ten Commandments speak of sins committed with the tongue (Exodus 20:7, 16). Proverbs 21:23 says, “Whoever watches his mouth and tongue keeps himself from trouble.” The New Testament writer, James, called the tongue a flame of fire and a world of wickedness (3:5-6). The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 12, “I tell you that you will give an account on judgment day for ever idle word you speak. The words you say will either condemn or acquit you (vv. 36-37).” Paul told the Ephesian church, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it might benefit those who listen (4:29).” In Ecclesiastes 5:3 and 10:14, the writer tells us that a foolish person multiplies words.
What would happen if once or twice a week during your regular prayer time, you started by saying, “Teach me, Lord, and I will be silent.” And then you got still and listened for the voice of God. Try it! There is so much HE wants to teach us, but so few are LISTENING. Always guard your tongue and keep your ears open for the voice of the Father. See Psalm 46:10
