Set a guard over my mouth, LORD;
keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3 (NIV)
Who remembers the loveable characters Zippy, Bungle and George? They appeared in a show called Rainbow. Bungle (my favourite) was a bulky brown teddy bear who griped about the other members. George was a massive pink hippopotamus, known for his shyness. Zippy was a rather loud character, always wanting to be the centre of attention, and had a zip for his mouth. Whenever he “mouthed off’, the other puppets zipped his mouth shut.
Zippy came to mind as I pondered today’s verse. David did not want anything harmful to leave his mouth. Proverbs 10:19 offers some similar advice:
Too much talk leads to sin.
Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. Proverbs 10:19 (NLT)
Instead of speaking rashly, unadvisedly, improperly, we should keep our mouths shut. We all know that it is not good to gossip, gripe, deceive, slander, criticise etc. But how about the following admission: “I am an interrupter. I am a finisher-of-sentences. I am a talk-over-another-person kind of person. I am a how-can-I-turn-this-conversation-back-to-me participant. I am what some call a ‘conversational narcissist’.” The truth is, we all have problems with what we say and how we say it. How we need the advice, “Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.”
I was once given the following challenge. If you were given £10 for every kind and edifying word you’ve spoken, but penalised £10 for every unkind, hurtful word you’ve uttered, and then bought a house with the balance, what kind of home would you now have or would you be homeless? Our prayer must be that of the Psalmist: “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”