Do You Pray to Have Good Words and Good Thoughts?

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
                               Psalms 19:14 (KJV)
 




Hi Friends,
 
      How are you today?  I have been writing about the Bible and how we can use it in our lives.  One of the ways is to look at some of the prayers that were prayed by other people and hold them close to our hearts.  Of course we have the Lord’s Prayer taught by Jesus.  However, we also have prayers by King David and others in the Book of Psalms.    
 
     The words in Psalms 19:14 sound like a beautiful prayer to me that can be helpful and prayed in various situations.  I am not sure why King David wrote it or what he was going through at the time.  (Was it after his acts of murder and adultery?  I don’t know.)  Yet, I think it was a verse that was part of a song just after he had asked forgiveness for hidden thoughts and he was asking help to keep his thoughts pure. 

      I like that he called God “his strength” and “his redeemer” in this verse.  To me, it sounds like King David was struggling with bad thoughts and words and he knew that God would give him strength and that God can redeem any sinner.  He was crying out for help.  I think it helps us in such times to remember that God can give us strength, can redeem us, and can direct our hearts and mind.
  
    We all have thoughts that might not be so good.  It is only human.  Hopefully, they are just fleeting thoughts that don’t last.  Although, sometimes they linger and can turn into something more harmful.  That fleeting thought might turn into an attitude, a word, or an action.  Instead of a fleeting thought, it could be a negative outlook on life.  It changes us.  So, we are called to ask God to save us from ourselves.  Isn’t it wonderful that we have such a God in which to turn?    
 
    Our thoughts and words often lead to actions.  If they are bad, negative, or sinful, they will lead to bad, negative, or sinful actions.  Saying something mean or hurtful, for example, in a moment of weakness can cause irreparable damage at times.  We don’t want to say something in anger that will cause us regret later on.  That is the way we lose friends and loved ones.  It is how we tear down love instead of build up love.  It is how we sin and drift away from God. 

     Our negative thoughts and feelings may not always hurt others, but may hurt us as well.  Suicide, for example, doesn’t just happen.  A series of negative thoughts and feelings lead up to the choice of suicide. The act of dwelling on something negative doesn’t help us at all.  Like David, we are called to look to God to move on to thoughts that are more in accordance to God’s will for us.  While we are depressed, we can pray something like this, so that instead of dwelling on what ever depresses us, God can direct our thoughts to something more productive.

     Sometimes, we may pray these words before having the negative thoughts.  When I write devotions, I pray something similar.  I ask God to guide my thoughts and words.  I don’t want to misguide anyone or give a message that is different than God’s intentions in anyway.  I want the words and message to be His and not mine.

     No matter what your circumstance, may you find ways to incorporate this little prayer into your everyday life.  It may just save your life some day.  May you remember that God is the strength and redeemer of all of us who believe and call upon Him.
 
Heavenly Father,
     Thank you for being our Holy Creator, our Heavenly Father, our Strength, and our Redeemer.  Help us to remember to call on you in times of need.  Help us to keep our words, our thoughts, and our feelings according to your will for us.  Prevent us from wrong words, wrong thoughts, and wrong feelings.  Don’t let us drift away from you, even in thoughts.  Let us always be close to you.  When we do drift, help us to remember that if we come to you and repent, you can redeem us.  We don’t need to continue to drift.  Guide our words, thoughts, and feelings always.  I ask you this through your Son, Jesus.  Amen.
 
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Reflective Questions for Psalms 14:19
*What does Psalms 14:19 mean to me?
*What are some circumstances when praying this verse would be helpful?
*Have I ever prayed a similar prayer?
*What do I think King David was going through when he said these words?
*Can I imagine how King David was feeling during this time?
*Was there a time when I didn’t pray such words and they would have been
 helpful?
*What can I do to remember to pray these words more often?
    
 I would be interested in your thoughts. 
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