Prayer For Our Words To Be Good

 These are the hottest days of summer and this year, particularly for those in the interior of British Columbia, not only hot but smoky with the constant looking over your shoulder to see if there are any fires approaching your property which might mean evacuation. 

Thousands have been on evacuation alert.  Hundreds are out of their home as I write.  We’re only just now getting into the usual heavy fire season and this year we’ve already been hard at it for six weeks or more.  Already the number of hectares burned is more than the total in 2017 which was the record breaking year until now.

It’s in this challenging and on edge kind of situations that tempers flare and people say things in their worry and weariness that had been better left unsaid. 

I’m reminded today of the simple instruction we are given in the Bible to help us in these moments:

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  James 1:19

Lord, it’s so easy to when we are tired and frustrated to let down our guard and say things we wish we’d never said.  It’s hard work to live in peace with others – particularly when others are feeling stressed and irritable just like us.  But Lord, if You’ve told us to do something then You surely will help us and so today we do ask for Your help to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Forgive us for our missteps.  Help us to seek out those of whom we need to ask forgiveness and make amends.  We do not want to let walls build up and relationships break down.

The words of the reckless pierce like swords,     but the tongue of the wise brings healing.  Proverbs 12:18

Lord, you know when we’ve not brought healing with our words.  Maybe they haven’t been hurtful words but they’ve been empty words.  That’s not honouring to You either.  You want us to be a blessing and to be an encouragement as we speak the truth in love to those we meet.  You want us, with our words, to make a positive difference for You today and we need Your Holy Spirit to guide us and help us to make the effort to do that.  Help us to pause and in that split second as we interact with others to ask You what we should say or do.  Give us grace to follow up on what You show us. 

And Lord, maybe we’re even one step back from that and during these hot and lazy summer days we don’t even want to bother with others.  Give us Your heart.   So many times when you were hot and tired and just wanted to get away for a bit of rest people showed up and You didn’t misspeak or send them away, You ministered to them until their needs were met.  Give us Your heart for others today.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Ephesians 4:29

Lord one of the other challenges when we are with friends and having a good time is that unwholesome talk can come out of our mouths.  It can be agreeing with gossip or reflecting negative things that our culture is full of that we are exposed to in the media or at work.  Too much these things can seep into us and before we know it from what’s inside of us things that are not good flow out of our mouths. 

Once again, because You’ve told us to do it, we know we can ask for Your help. So, we are asking that no unwholesome talk will come out of our mouth today, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Thank you for the seasons, summer and winter, hot and cold, wet and dry, whatever it is today where we are.  Help us to be grateful for air to breath and the ability to be conscious of what is going on around us. We will live this day with You.  We will live this day for you.  Amen