October 29 – Wisdom Through Words (Psalm 119:9-16)

“With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.” (Psalm 119:13)

IN WORD:
Experts in memory techniques tell us that if we use a new acquaintance’s name in our conversation, we’ll be more likely to remember it. Students who discuss the subject matter of a class with each other are going to integrate it into their thinking better. Those who have a hard time remembering good jokes are those who never tell them. There is something powerful about uttering newfound knowledge. Speech reinforces thinking.
The principle is written into God’s Word as well. After we’ve prayed for His wisdom, meditated on His truths, and memorized some Scriptures, we may find that the process is furthered by our willingness to speak what we’ve learned. In contemporary Western cultures, the spoken word is a casual thing, a simple, verbal expression of sometimes meaningless thoughts. Not so in the Bible. There is power in the spoken word. When God created, He spoke. When He and His people blessed, they spoke. When people cursed, they spoke. What was said out loud could not be unsaid. It was concrete; its utterance made it so.
That truth should be enough to cause us all to examine our speech. Are we reinforcing negative thoughts and false suppositions when we open our mouths? Or are we reinforcing truth? Do our tongues practice righteousness and praise or discouragement and doubt? We think the mind has complete influence over the mouth, but it is often the other way around. Our own words can train us well.

IN DEED:
When you have learned one of God’s truths in your mind, try speaking it with your mouth. Repeat it loud to yourself. Share it with someone else. Discuss its application with other believers. Let it become a sensory reality rather than an inaudible thought. The likelihood of its remaining a part of your thinking and a part of your character will increase dramatically. Your mouth and your ears will establish what’s in your heart.

“Words, those precious cups of meaning . . .”
-St. Augustine-