May the Words of My Mouth and the Meditation of My Heart…

Every time I mention my “favorite verse” at Sonrise, you can hear giggles across the congregation. Why? Because I have so many favorite verses of the Bible. Depending on the day and the need of my soul, verses tend to capture my heart and thinking. Over the years, as with a friend of two of mine, I tend to gravitate back to this verse, Psalm 19:14.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength (or rock) and my Redeemer.

 

Critical Questions to Allow Your Words and Meditations of Your Heart to Honor God

How is it possible for the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart to be acceptable unto God?

Great question, isn’t it?

I take this particular verse both as a goal and a prayer. As I wrote above, it is one of my most favorite verses and has captured much thought over the years. In its great context, this prayer follows a desire from the psalmist to live a life that honors God. The psalmists asks that God would forgive him of his unknown sins and keep him from presumptuous sins. In both instances, the psalmist is concerned about his relationship with God, especially as it relates to sin.

With this in mind, he ends with this great wish prayer to God:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength (or rock) and my Redeemer.

But how?

Let me suggest a series of questions that you can ask yourself to help you discern how you are doing in your heart as well as your behavior.

• Ask, “What sin can I see in my own life?”
  – Have I repented and sought forgiveness from God?
  – Have I repented and sought forgiveness from those I have sinned against?
  – What am I doing to not sin again?

 

• Ask, “What is the motivation of my heart?”
  – What should be the motivation of my heart?
  – What would Jesus want to motivate me?

 

• Ask, “What do I want in life, in this situation, in this moment?”
  – Does the glory of God rank higher than my desires?
  – Does the Bible have authority in my life over my desires?

 

• Ask, “How do I see and interact with others as a result?”
  – Do I respond out of my own great need of God’s mercy?
  – Do I see their sin but fail to see my own?
  – Do I offer to walk with others in grace who sin too?

 

• Ask, “How do you respond to the Revelation of God through creation and God’s Word?”
  – Do you desire forgiveness?
  – Do you desire to honor the Lord (or be a God-honoring person)? Do you respond in gratitude?

 

Essentially, you want to seek to know how the revelation of God impacts what you think and what you say? As you read, study, and meditate on the Bible, it should increase your desire to live in light of what it teaches. When discouraged in your progress to honor God daily, go back to the Gospel. Think of Jesus and every blessing provided for you in Christ. Instead of allowing your sin and discouragement to keep you from turning to the Bible, move toward it. Read it. Ponder what it says. Consider the great Person and work of Jesus Christ. Then, rejoice in the lack of no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Our goal: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Amen.

---

For those interested, if you would like to hear me preach though this verse and passage, you can do so here.