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

How powerful is this verse? There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking the Lord to make you pleasing to Him. In fact, He loves to teach you His ways. He tenderly molds your character so that you speak, think, and act in ways that honor Him.

David’s greatest concern as a servant of the Lord is his own acceptability to his Master. As he surveyed the wonderful heavens and looked into the wonderful word of God, he sees himself in light of these two creations and then views his own sinful condition. He can only conclude with a prayer for God to sanctify him constantly. How much more should this apply to our lives today?

I believe that, more than ever, we need to ask God to guide the thoughts of our mind and the words that we speak. We live in a world where we are encouraged to “tell it like it is,” and our minds are bombarded with every evil thought. Even leaders and politicians in our country speak harshly to one another in debates and in the media.

Many times, the innermost thoughts of our mind and heart can come out in words that hurt and destroy even the ones we love the most. This is something we sometimes do not even recognize. The enemy of our soul uses this simple technique to tear apart families, friendships, and even congregations.

In this marvelous verse, David says, “O Lord, my strength and my redeemer” … herein lies the key! Let our daily prayer be “Lord, my strength and redeemer, I rely on you for my every thought, word, and deed today.” We cannot do this alone; our flesh is too weak. But when we place our trust in Him every day and ask Him to guide our thoughts — the meditations of our heart — and the words of our mouth, how this pleases Him! This is a prayer He will never deny!

Let’s start with those closest to us, our wives, husbands and children. Many times, we hurt the ones closest to us, while we are more kind to strangers! Let’s truly cherish them, care for them, and never hurt them. That is why Jesus instructed married couples to “honor” (cherish) one another.

Then comes our church family. Oh, how we should speak loving words to our brothers and sisters in Christ. The tongue can truly be something that can encourage, lift up, and motivate, but it can also be something that can cut down and hurt so easily. Let’s ask God to give us a loving heart and a patient spirit so that we always treat our brothers and sisters with love, honor, and respect.

And then let’s extend it to our co-workers, classmates, and neighbors … Jesus said, “By your love will the world know you are my disciples” (John 13:35).

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.