Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
David is often said to be a type of Christ. There are many reasons why this is, but I think that in writing this Psalm, he is shown to be that in a different way. When we read the Sermon on the Mount, we see Jesus saying many times, different statements that begin with, “You have heard it said…”, and then He follows them with, “but I say…” The original thing was deep; it was a challenge. Then Jesus took it to a whole new level. I think that’s what David does here.
We often know that we should control our mouth. We get that it’s a good idea. But sometimes in the back and forth of life, we are not so proficient at doing it! We may have been told when we were younger to ‘watch your mouth’, but… If only we were better at that. Think how much drama could have been avoided in your life if in every one of those cases, you had said just one thing less. Or is that just me?
But just about the time we are really pondering how we might better control our tongue, David goes to the deeper level: the meditation of our heart! Ouch! It’s bad enough to be vigilant about what we say, now we have to be on guard about what we think? Can we even control the thoughts that come into our heads? Well, yes and no. Thoughts do come unbidden, but we don’t have to ponder them. Meditating is like ruminating. It’s like a cow chewing its cud. If we mull something over long enough, it will change us. If I meditate in this way on God’s word, it will find its way into my very being. Conversely, if I meditate on “what he said” or the way someone mistreated me, that takes root.
I will confess to you that I think what David has said here is impossible. It can’t be done. Unless…we get help. The One we hope finds our words and thoughts acceptable, is ready to help us see that they are! With the Holy Spirit’s enabling power, I can control the words of my mouth and even the meditations of my heart! After all, Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” Surely, all things includes my words and my thoughts!
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
