Use Your Words!

** And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. ** Psalm 40:3

Remembering who we used to be and what we used to say and do can help us to focus on the good that we have now in the Lord. Looking back on our old life will encourage us to recognize that we talk differently and act differently.

Psalm 40 tells us that the Lord has put a new song in our mouth. We can look at this literally, knowing that the music we used to listen to is different from the music that we listen to and sing publicly or privately in our new life with God today. Or we can look at it figuratively, in a more general sense, in that the words that come out of our mouth are the result of a new heart and new priorities and new perspectives. ** He has put a new song in my mouth ** Our hearts are different, thus our words are different.

** Even praise unto our God **. I think this is key. Praise unto Him. Not us. Not what we have or what we do. But we put God in front. He is greater, bigger, grander, more powerful, miraculous, merciful, gracious, forgiving, trustworthy, faithful….the list goes on and on. We should be willing to talk about all that He is. We are compelled to help others know what we have discovered about Him. When we use our words to help others see who the Lord really is, it brings them a few steps closer to their own conversion.

Years ago, I was having a conversation with a woman who was describing God to me as mean, harsh, and heavy-handed. Her version of who the Lord was in her own mind was keeping her from drawing close to Him. I simply replied to her that God is not like that. He is kind and loving and compassionate to those who love Him. She was shocked. And literally stepped back away from me and then changed the subject. She couldn’t grasp this concept of God so different from her own, but she still used her own words to openly declare who she thought God was. It is up to us to give the Lord better press than those who don’t know Him, yet freely talk ill of Him.

** Many shall see it and fear and trust in the Lord. **

Our words help others to wake up. They impact their twisted idea of who the Lord is. Our words disturb them. Sometimes they even rock their world. They can shake their self-constructed foundation. They knock them off-kilter. Our words resonate in them for days, even months. Just like someone’s words did to us.

But where do we start? Our words can be simple and straight forward. We can talk about an answered prayer. We can tell them our own testimony of how the Lord woke us up and changed our own lives. An honest, open explanation of how wrong we were before we knew the Lord and how lovingly He led us to Him can stop someone in their tracks and make them think.

**The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. ** Psalm 18:2 David gives us a good list of more things we can use our words for to praise the One who turned our world upside down. We will never run out of good things to tell others about concerning our God. If we keep it simple and use our words to put people’s focus on Him and not on us or on their own troubles, who knows how many will put their trust in Him?