When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
– Proverbs 10:19
That’s a good word to remember, to think about today, to be careful with our use of words, knowing that the more we speak and especially the picture that we see all throughout, Proverbs is speaking out of a foolish heart or foolish mind, a mind that’s not fearing God and not being careful with what we say. The more we speak like that, transgression follows. It just comes. But whoever restrains his lips, whoever speaks with self-control is prudent, is wise.
Proverbs 10:19 teaches us to be self-controlled with our words.
So just think about all the different words you will express today or in any given day, and not just in conversations with other people. So yes, that, but also in texts that we send or emails or posts to this or that social media account. Let us be self-controlled and wise with our words.
Let’s restrain our lips, thinking intentionally and carefully about everything we can communicate. I trust all of us have had times in our lives where we have spoken quickly and we’ve set a variety of things that we wish we could take back. Proverbs 10:19 tells us to guard our tongues, to restrain our lips, to think before we speak, and to filter what we’re saying through the fruit of the Spirit, which is what I’m saying. Expressing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Proverbs 10:19 reminds us to restrain our words.
That’s a good grid to look at your words through any words you say to others, any words you say about others, and any words you mutter to yourself for that matter. And then to do the same with any words we write or send to others. We all need help from the Spirit of Jesus to restrain our lips so that our words are wise.
So we pray according to Proverbs 10:19, oh God, help us to restrain our lifts. We pray for self-control with our words today. Every single word we communicate through, any medium, through any avenue, God, we pray, help us today to speak life, to speak truth, to speak grace in ways that show the fruit of your Spirit. God, we pray that from our lips today would flow, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Oh God, we pray that our lips would overflow with your Spirit and your Word, and our interactions with other followers of Jesus today, help us to build them up with your Word, to encourage them with your Word, to speak words that give life and God with those who are not followers of Jesus we interact with today. Help us to steward our lips, our words, to share the good news of your love that gives eternal life with them.
Prayer for the Arab People
Help us to be bold today with the gospel, that the gospel would flow from our lips today. And God, we pray for this around the world, specifically today, among the Burundi Arabs. God, we pray for this people group where there are no known followers of Jesus. God, we pray for these Burundi Arabs to hear the good news. We pray that someone and the power of your Spirit would be sent out to share the gospel with them, that they might experience life through your Word in the lips of your people. Oh God, we pray all of this according to your Word in Proverbs 10:19. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
