Choosing wisely

Psalm 39 Have you ever said something and immediately regretted it? This seems to be the case for King David as he wrote this psalm. He, like us, needed some wisdom to know when to speak and what those words should be. Words can be piercing or they can be like a balm of Gilead.  Later he wrote: my tongue is a ready writer. [Ps 45:1] But, is it? We have a choice to use our tongue for good or for evil. Wisdom begins by fearing the Lord and he who guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from trouble. [Proverbs 21:3] Paul writing to the Ephesian church said, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment that it may give grace to those who hear.” [Eph 4:29] 

Maybe, or perhaps, that is why the psalmist wrote these words as a cautionary thought and practice for himself and now for us. “I will guard my way that I may not sin with my tongue, I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle.” [Ps 39:1] He specifically says that is a needed reminder when he is in the presence of the wicked. And who are the wicked but those who choose to not follow God and His precepts. The principle being: choose wisely when to speak and when to be silent.