A Bible Verse About Words (Psalm 141:3)

A Bible verse about words:

“Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3

Words are powerful. Words have weight.

Whether spoken or read, words have the capacity to change one’s opinion, shape policies, and ignite a nation.

We owe it to each other, ourselves, and to God to use our words with reverence for the implications they carry.

That’s ironic to me because 54% of adults in the United States have a literacy rate below the sixth-grade level.

Certainly, social media and text messaging has a lot to do with that abhorring stat, but seriously?

Over half our country reads at a level the equivalent to elementary school. I have witnessed this first hand at work.

We have a young(er) coworker who thinks and acts much younger than he is. He prides himself on the new slang that the younger generation is using; I need him to translate for me what exactly it means.

It’s funny, but it’s also shocking. Personally, I am revolted by how far we have devolved when it comes to language and words. Not only can the majority of Americans hardly read, they choose not to.

Another study determined that 48.5% of Americans hadn’t read a book in the past year. Of those that have, the overwhelming majority were over 40 years old.

I have always enjoyed reading

The words came alive in my mind and I reveled in envisioning myself amongst the story. 

As I’ve grown, I have relied on books to teach me a multitude of subjects. So it floors me that people simply don’t read anymore.

Never before in the history of the world has more information been more accessible with simply a touch of a button or click of a mouse. That said, it seems that people would rather spend their time keeping up with the latest reality TV show.

With the diminished priority being placed on reading, I suppose it should come as no surprise that we don’t consider the weight associated with words.

The words that we use have the power to heal and also the power to hurt. Perhaps it would do us all some good to remember this.

I encourage you all to remember this verse and commit it to memory. Pray this little prayer at the beginning of the day. It will help motivate you to use encouraging and uplifting words rather than demoralizing and hurtful words.

That, and read a book.

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