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Happy To Welcome You To The Hallelujah Chorus

I will exalt you my God, the King, I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and exalt your name forever and ever. Psalm 145:1-2

Monday, November 15, 2010

THIS SHOULD BE MY PRAYER TOO!

In what is thought to be the first letter written to the new Christian community, the Lord's brother, James, addressed in careful detail one of the single most difficult challenges we all face. He wrote, "NO MAN CAN TAME THE TONGUE...WITH THE TONGUE WE PRAISE OUR LORD AND FATHER, AND WITH IT WE CURSE MEN, WHO HAVE BEEN MADE IN GOD'S LIKENESS. OUT OF THE SAME MOUTH COME PRAISE AND CURSING. MY BROTHERS, THIS SHOULD NOT BE" James 3:8-10 NIV
David understood the pervasive and destructive nature of this tiny body part and made this request of God - "SET A GUARD OVER MY MOUTH, O LORD; KEEP WATCH OVER THE DOOR OF MY LIPS. LET NOT MY HEART BE DRAWN TO WHAT IS EVIL, TO TAKE PART IN THE WICKED DEEDS OF EVILDOERS; LET ME NOT EAT OF THEIR DELICACIES." Psalm 141:3-4 NIV
In this prayer, David makes two requests because he knew how they are interrelated:
1) "keep watch over my lips"
2) "let not my heart be drawn to what is evil".
Jesus said it is "OUT OF THE OVERFLOW OF THE HEART, THE MOUTH SPEAKS". Matthew 12:34
David's prayer should be mine too. Since I cannot tame my tongue, if there is no way for it to be brought under control, I am hopelessly mired in a persistent sin I can't change, real repentance is impossible. But hold on, there is hope for me yet.
If I take Jesus' words seriously, the real culprit here isn't my tongue but my heart. So, David's prayer makes sense when I recognize that only God can do what has to be done in my heart in order to take better control of my tongue.
So here is my best take on all this - my prayer should be "Cleanse my heart O God and help me recognize the power of my words before they are spoken. Fill my heart with your love and give me your heart that I may bless and not curse."
I praise you my Almighty Father for giving me your Holy Spirit to train me to be a righteous, if imperfect, testimony to your love in a hateful world. Help me too to not partake of the "delicacies/sweet talk (MSG)" of those who speak only evil.
HALLELUJAH!

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