God's Word Should Not Stay in Our Hearts~Psalm 119:13

            

The psalmist has memorized God’s Word (vs. 11) and he prays to God to teach him the word (vs. 12). But he is not content with memorization and understanding. He must declare the law of God to those around him (Psalm 119:13). The Word of God does not remain in his heart, but overflows into his speech.  Our words and speech are keys to understanding what is in our hearts. God’s Word has filled up the psalmist’s heart. So God’s Word is what comes out of the psalmist’s mouth.

            The psalmist does not declare his opinion or his ideas, but all the judgments of God's mouth.  Our own thoughts are of little consequence. The question at the bottom of all questions is what does God think? That is why the declaration of God’s Word to those around us is essential.  Our words are to reflect God’s statutes. His interpretation of events, actions, emotions, and thoughts is to be our interpretation of them. 

           Too often we see things through our eyes instead of through God’s Word. Or our speech is shaped more by the world than it is by God’s Word. The movies we watch and the songs we listen to mold our hearts so that we think and feel like the world does. If we find ourselves unable to converse easily about things like sin, salvation, redemption, Christ, the Church, grace, etc. then we should go back to verses 11-12 and begin internalizing God’s Word.

            But often we know God’s Word and still refuse to declare it. We might refuse to declare God’s Word because we are cowards. We keep God’s Word in our hearts so no one will think the less of us or make fun of us. We might refuse to declare God’s Word because we do not want to look “holier than thou.” This is a legitimate problem. But God does not give us the option of being silent. We must learn to declare God’s Word without being pompous or proud. There are probably other reasons we do not talk about God’s Word as we ought to.

            Our speech reflects our hearts. If God’s Word is not on our tongue then it might not be in our hearts. Or it might be in there, but instead of glorying in it we are ashamed of it.