They each took their turn, with their little friends, to stand before a room filled with our church family. And each little group of very distracted, "deer in the headlights" children did their best to squeak out the passages of scripture that they had learned over the summer months.
Each group seemed to forget at the very beginning, but a few words brushed their ears and pricked their memories and they were off! The Word of God pouring out of children!
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11)
The adults were all smiles as the children stumbled over words, and then remembered, but then forgot again. There were moments of hilarity as the little girl standing beside Zeke couldn't keep here hands from stroking his white-blond hair. And he looking at her from the corner of his eye, frustrated that he couldn't duck far enough from her hand.
So he said all the louder, "How can my young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." (Psalm 119:9) He always said "my" instead of "a".
Even in the midst of feeling bothered by another, he said God's Word louder. It was being hidden in his heart so that it might come out at the right time. I have to ask myself, what am I hiding in my heart?
Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, "From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."
What is overflowing from my heart? A good indicator is in the words that I say. I fear that sometimes, many times, the words are harsh, short, and unchecked. So what am I hiding in there?
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." (James 3:9-10)
The tongue is a "double-edged sword." It cuts both ways. Dreadful and deadly when used wrongly and spurred on with the wrong sort of fuel over-flowing the reservoir. However, it has the potential to be a powerhouse of blessing and encouragement.
How to we reap the harvest of verbal blessing over-above the destructiveness of unbridled words?
We must take up arms against it. The tongue must be mastered, just as we must be humbled to the Master. We brandish the "sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." So, how can a young man keep his way pure? By hiding God's very word in his heart - like a sword held safely in it's scabbard- until the proper time when it must be drawn. Then God's word overflows and from the overflow of the heart, the mouth can speak the praises of the Lord and recount His trustworthy deeds to all mankind.
"A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction." (Prov. 16:23)
The wise man knows what to hide in his heart. It is a well-kept sword, ready to battle against the darkness and teach others to do the same. This implies that it's okay to hide something in your heart - as long as it is the truth of God's Holy Word.
Therefore, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
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