Holy Duct Tape

 
It was only a few flippant words.

But somehow those words not only hurt, they jerked me from pleasant to full-throttle irritated in about 20 seconds. You’d better believe I was about an eye-blink away from a full-throttle comeback.

And that’s when God’s word restrained me. Like a strip of holy duct tape slapped across my mouth, the truth of God’s word prevented me from saying something that would have opened a floodgate of harsh retorts.

Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed. (Psalm 141:3)

So instead of reacting with anger and saying exactly what I felt, I grew quiet. I gazed out the window. And I silently prayed. God, you know how hard this is right now. I am choosing to be quiet, even though I really want to screech some choice words. But for Your glory, I am choosing not to engage in what could become a very ugly moment.

That’s the power of Holy Spirit intervention.

We can choose to engage in a snarky come-back (and believe me, I’ve chosen poorly on many occasions) or we can allow the word of God to dwell in us richly (see Colossians 3:16) and produce fruit like self-control in the middle of what could have been a very ugly moment.

That’s the beauty of God’s word.

And that, sweet friends, is the benefit of holy duct tape. 

I said, I will heed and guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will muzzle my mouth as with a bridle while the wicked are before me. (Psalm 39:1)

Lord, I confess that I sometimes say things I shouldn’t—things I regret. Will you please help me to grow and mature in this area? Set a guard over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips. Keep me aware that You hear every word I speak. May the words I speak honor You and bless those around me. In Jesus’s name, Amen.