A Prayer to Repent of Negative Thoughts and Words
By Betsy de Cruz
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14
Our family’s trip to the beach was ruined before we even arrived. Our vacation day took a frustrating turn when we got lost searching for the pristine, white sand beach we’d envisioned. My fuming and complaining raised the temperature of the car several degrees during our long search. Two hours later, we ended up at a rocky, dirt-filled patch of seaside.
Rather than choosing to make the best of things and enjoy the water and time with my kids, I got into a funk and took the whole family down with me.
My mouth got me in trouble. Have you noticed how negative thoughts affect what comes out of our mouths? In the same way, grumbling words poison our attitudes even further and alter the atmosphere around us.
If you also have days when your mind and your mouth bring you down, Psalm 19 offers a wise prayer. The words remind us God not only hears our words, He also knows our thoughts and the meditation of our hearts.
What have you been meditating on lately? If you’re like me, you often fall into the negativity trap. Instead of giving God thanks for everything good in your life, you ponder what is going wrong.
What do you talk about? Maybe sometimes you also get stuck in a negative mindset that causes complaining and criticizing to come out of your mouth.
What if we make a choice today to shift our thoughts Godward? In Psalm 19, David recognizes God as our Rock and our Redeemer. God is also our Provider, our Promise Keeper, and our Heavenly Father. He is our Shepherd and our Guide.
This simple shift to turn our thoughts heavenward can help us cultivate gratitude and a more positive mindset. In any situation, we can choose optimism because we know God will come to our aid. We have heaven’s helper on our side. As we acknowledge God’s blessings, thankfulness grows in our hearts and affects our words as well.
What if we choose to speak only beneficial, affirming words today? May God use us to communicate a positive, hopeful attitude to those around us.
Let’s Pray:
Lord, forgive me for the times when I fail to see your lovingkindness and your ability to transform any situation. Forgive me for meditating on my problems rather than on your power.
Father, help me repent from negative words and attitudes; give me the grace I need to meditate on your steadfast love and faithfulness instead. Bring verses and passages from your Word to my mind, so I can experience renewed thinking when I feel tempted to fall into a negative mindset. I pray you would transform my thought life with truth from Scripture. Today I praise you for your mighty power to do far more than I ask or imagine.
I pray for wisdom. As you renew my thoughts, enable me to speak kind and helpful words. Show me also when I need to remain silent rather than speak. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Betsy de Cruz helps overwhelmed women take small steps to invite more of God’s presence and power into their lives. Connect with Betsy to get your free Quiet Time Renewal Guide and other resources at FaithSpillingOver.com. Her book More of God is a distracted woman’s guide to more meaningful quiet times. After living in the Middle East for 16 years with her husband and two children, Betsy landed in Texas, where she still enjoys drinking chai with friends.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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Originally published Sunday, 12 September 2021.
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