My Words and My Thoughts

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

I was raised in a church where the verse above was prayed or quoted by the pastor every Sunday just before he began his sermon. What a great prayer it is for that occasion. But I believe the psalmist would have us take it out of the sanctuary and into our day‑to‑day living.

The first part is by far the easiest. Most of us are “house‑broken” enough that we can and do control our words in certain situations and settings. We are wise enough to watch our language and gracious enough to curb our tongues when needed.

The next phrase in the verse is more challenging. Here we are praying that the things we think about and dwell on—the things hidden from those around us—would also be acceptable in God’s sight. Wow.

In our day and age, we are bombarded by sights and sounds that assault everything within us that is godly and good. A few minutes of scrolling through social media, for example, can confront us with images, conversations, and values that pull our hearts away from Christ. If we are not quick to snatch up these seeds before they sink into our hearts, they grow quickly, and before long our thoughts wander down avenues that are neither good nor edifying.

The psalmist had no clue what would be facing those who would read his words a couple of millennia later: television, computers, cell phones, and an internet filled with both good and bad. And as if looking into the future, the Apostle Paul spoke these words to us: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Each day we wash our bodies with soap and water; just as often we need to wash our hearts and minds with the water of God’s Word. This washing is vital to our spiritual vitality, because Proverbs tells us, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7).

The psalmist went so far as to say, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes” (Psalm 101:3). Why? Because he understood that what enters through the eye gate goes directly to the heart and mind. And when these things fill our hearts and minds, we are called to “…take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

So, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, our Helper, may we all endeavor to walk before our God in such a way that the words of our mouths, as well as the meditations of our hearts, are acceptable in His sight.