One Mouth, Two Ears

It’s been said that God gave us one mouth and two ears for a reason: He wants us to listen more and to speak less. Think of how often we jump to conclusions or pass judgment in a situation. The writer of Proverbs warned, “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish” (Proverbs 18:13 NLT). Nevertheless, when we hear something damaging about another person, our first instinct is to conclude immediately that the person is guilty as charged. And instead of saying, “Let’s go to that person and find out the truth,” we start to spread the news as if it were fact.

In the old days when you went to a doctor, he would ask you to stick out your tongue. Then he would pull out a tongue depressor and tell you to say, “Ahhh.” Why? Because the tongue can be an indicator of what’s going on inside you. By observing your tongue, a doctor could tell what was wrong with the rest of you.

The principle applies in a spiritual sense as well. Our tongue—or, more specifically, our words—are the table of contents to our lives. What we say gives away who or what we really are.

That’s why David wrote, “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips” (Psalm 141:3 NLT). In essence, he was saying, “Lord, set a watch over my mouth. I can’t stop other people from speaking evil about me, but I will not do the same to them. I will not be guilty of it, Lord. But I need your help. I can’t do this in my own strength.”

Keep in mind that David faced off against a lion, a bear, the murderous King Saul, and a host of other enemies. He stepped onto a battlefield with the warrior giant Goliath with no fear and barely a second thought. Yet he knew what he was up against with the tongue.

We need to follow his lead. We can accomplish some important work with our words. The apostle Paul wrote, “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone” (Colossians 4:5–6 NLT). He also wrote, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29 NLT). And the writer of Proverbs advised, “Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4 NLT).

But we can’t do those things on our own. Like David, we must pray that the Lord will set a guard over our mouths and keep a watch over the door of our lips.

Reflection question: In what areas do you need the Lord to help you guard your lips? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

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