He's Listening

¹ A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. ² The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. ³ The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. ⁴ A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.- Proverbs 15:1-4

     Passages about the tongue are perhaps some of the most convicting in all of Scripture. Controlling what I say and when I say it is perhaps my greatest downfall and I feel that I am not alone. Something so small and seemingly simple can change so much in a second. Proverbs dispenses some amazing wisdom in these four verses. Verse one teaches us the best response in an argument. I must rise above the shouting and accusing and find a soft answer. I've been on the receiving end of a soft answer and I must say that it does truly turn away wrath! Verse two reminds me to speak wisely. I must keep my mouth from pouring out foolishness. Verse three reminds me to have wholesome, uplifting speech. Perverse and critical speech only tears down and breaks the spirit. The common thread for all of these warnings comes down to one simple character trait: self-control. In an argument, I must keep my cool and control my response. When I want to blab away about nonsense, I must control my tongue to keep it from becoming a fountain of foolishness. When I am tempted to say ungodly things the only way to stop my mouth is to control my lips. If I cannot master self-control I will not master my tongue. 

     In the middle of these verses we find verse three and it says nothing about speech. There is no mention of the mouth or tongue or speaking in verse three. There isn't even any mention of self-control. However, I believe that verse three is included for a reason and I think it is a powerful verse when dealing with the tongue. When I am struggling with self-control, when I am tempted to pour out foolish or hateful words, I must remember that the Lord is there and He is listening. He is watching me and listening to my speech. He is everywhere. When there is an argument at home, He is there. When I gossip on the phone, He is there. When I mutter under my breath, He is there. When I curse and accuse in my mind, He is there. A scary, yet very motivational thought. If the idea of God listening to my mouth doesn't help me keep it clean, I don't know what will. May I never forget that the Lord is always listening and may I strive to have conversation that is pleasing to Him.