“Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.” (Psalm 139:4 NIV)
At an elementary school nearby, they had a Parent Teacher Association basketball league. Participating students practiced once a week and played one game a week over a six-week period. It was at one of these games that a player, a fourth grader, went up for a layup that would have won the game right before the final buzzer. As he was shooting a player on the other team hits his arm, causing the fourth grader to miss a shot that would have won the game. This forced a five-minute overtime. While it was an obvious foul to the people in the bleachers, mostly parents and older siblings supporting their children, the referees made no call. While the coach, without any hesitation, went to protest the call with the referee nearest to the play and the missed call, the players huddled together. The fourth grader was livid and expressed his disbelief to his teammates, using some language, yes expletives, curse words that even adults would not have said in such a public sitting. One of the older players, a fifth grader said, “Look it was a bad call, but you have to watch your language.” The fourth grader said, “Nobody heard me.” The fifth grader, taking a leadership role said, “If nobody else heard you, God heard you.” The coach returns to the huddle, silence takes over, and the coach prepares the team for the overtime. I know you are wondering, so before I get to the lesson behind this report, I will tell you the outcome. The fourth-grader’s team lost by one point. I know what you are thinking, but don’t think it! Don’t say it!
What us our lesson for today. Here is the lesson. While we relish in the fact that the Lord hears our cries and answer by and by; while we celebrate in the fact that the Lord hears our call for help in despair or distress and He delivers us, we tend to forget, at times, that the Lord listens to His children at all times. As the verse above explains, the Lord knows what we are about to say, before the words come out of our mouth.
What is the profitable takeaway for you and me today? We need to work on controlling our thoughts and our words. And think about this, going back to the story. Where did the fourth grader learn such language in the first place? Hmmm? Something to think about.
Well, go and enjoy your day. Strive to control your thoughts and the words that come out of your mouth. Think about the fourth grader and with integrity, determine if you need to heed to the advice of the fifth grader. Love you! Be blessed!
“Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].” (Ephesians 4:29 The Amplified Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King