Why words matter

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

Have you ever heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? Let me just start by saying that this simply couldn’t be further from the truth. Words are powerful, more powerful than we realize, and they have the power to either wound or heal. Our words matter, and not only to one another, but far more importantly, they matter to God.

The beautiful request penned in Psalm 19:14 came from a heart that fully understood this to be true – that our words matter. Perhaps you and I could adopt this request for ourselves. If only we desired as much for our words and thoughts to please God, I wonder how much less we would experience relational strife. I wonder how much anger and bitterness would fade away as peace and forgiveness took their place in our hearts. I wonder how many marriages would be healed, friendships restored, and brokenness mended if only we longed for Psalm 19:14 to be true in our lives even half as much as everything else that makes the top of our priority lists. I wonder how the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit would increase in our lives. I wonder how much this world would change. I wonder.

Do your words give grace to those who hear them? Do your words encourage and edify? Are your words laced with a beautiful balance of love and truth? Do your words build up or tear down? How does your speech represent Jesus Christ?

Do the words of your mouth bring God pleasure? Do the meditations and thoughts of your heart bring Him joy? Our words matter to God. It’s time we start acting like it.