Verbal Affirmation

“And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments. So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.” (Ps 119:43-44 AV)

Well, that is interesting.  The writer asks the LORD not to take the word of truth out of his mouth.  And here we thought every word that proceeds out of the mouth of man is totally under man’s control.  Apparently not so.  Lest we go into the way of error, our writer is not implying that all spoken words are caused directly by the hand of God.  If this were the case, then there would be no words of warning regarding the tongue.  Rather, what the writer is seeking is the LORD’s hand so that the words of the Bible are not lost and that the Holy Spirit empowers him to speak the word of God frequently.  What we want to muse on is the connection between speaking the word of God and keeping the word of God.  It is suggested that the more the writer speaks the word of God, the more he is apt to obey it.  He might be onto something.

I have noticed that the older we get, the more we tend to talk to ourselves.  This is not a sign of senility.  Rather, what we are doing is talking through a process so that we can keep on track and do it correctly.  I have witnessed this more and more than we minister to older saints.  Perhaps they are getting ready to go out.  There are any number of tasks that are required.  From getting dressed to locking up the house on the way out the door, if they do not talk to themselves, they will forget a step.  There is something about verbal feedback that helps the mind to focus.  When I went on a military base and witnessed the recruits marching in cadence, it was not silent.  As they marched, the drill sergeant would call out half a verse, and the recruits would answer in echo.  It was the verbal cadence that kept them in time, distracted the physical demands of the run, and united them as a core.  There is something about verbalizing one’s goals that makes them come to pass.

We struggle with obedience and faith.  Partly because it is not constantly before our mind’s eye.  One of the ways in which we can do this is to memorize scripture and recite it back to ourselves.  David did this often.  Several psalms were written to himself.  He yelled at himself when his emotions were out of control.  When he didn’t see things right, he would preach to himself.  So, what if the world thinks we are crazy?  It is better to trust and obey while being verbal about it than to worry about what others think.  The writer is passionate.  He wants this for himself.  He asks the LORD to help him remember the specific verses need to obey, but also the courage to verbalize what the LORD would have him do.  Just like the recruits would echo to their sergeant the instructions for their run, perhaps more consistent living is a matter of appearing a bit off.  Maybe if we talk to ourselves and remind ourselves of the truth of the word of God, then we will find the discipline to live right.