Read
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!
Psalm 141:3
Reflect
“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me!”
So many of us grew up hearing this phrase, and while it was well-meaning, it’s not really accurate. It was designed to help us fend off verbal assaults and supposedly protect us from the harm of hurtful words. Unfortunately, it rarely worked.
Broken bones show up on an X-ray. The damage done by careless or cruel words can be much harder to see. Some of the deepest wounds people carry were never caused by anything that left a bruise or drew blood.
There are emergency rooms available for those who are physically bleeding, but it’s all too easy to walk away from the verbal accident scene, leaving the wounded to carry the hurt and pain. Emotional wounds can take a long time to heal, especially when the words came from someone whose opinion mattered deeply.
That is one reason David’s prayer in Psalm 141 is so important. He didn’t simply promise to try harder to control his words. He asked the Lord to help him: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!”
If you have a gun, or even a knife, you will certainly show great care when handling it in order to keep from hurting yourself or others with it. Make sure that you’re just as careful with another powerful weapon we all carry – the human tongue.
But our words aren’t only capable of harm. They can also heal, encourage, comfort, defend and minister to others. They can tear someone down, but they can also help build someone back up.
Words don’t come with a recall button. Once they’re spoken, we can’t always take them back.
So before you speak, ask the Lord to stand guard at the door. Some words need to be let out. Others need to stay inside. Do everything you can to use your words to build up others and commend the Kingdom of God to those around you.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt and Charles Fulton.
