Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Eph. 4:29–30
Glorious Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—We praise you for the incalculable riches of redemption you’ve lavished upon us in the gospel. Father, for generously planning such a stunning salvation; Jesus, for perfectly accomplishing all things necessary for our complete salvation; Holy Spirit, for faithfully applying this grace-saturated salvation to us. We long to express the depth of our gratitude, but our words fail us.
That being said, we don’t want our words to fail you, gracious God. You spoke the Word which gave life to our dead spirits—giving us both the will and the wherewithal to believe the gospel. Forgive us when we speak words, or even think words which have the opposite effect on others, bringing discouragement, decay, even death.
Holy Spirit, you faithfully preach the gospel to our hearts—incessantly telling us that we’re beloved children of God. Continue to so fill our hearts with the beauty of Jesus that, like Balaam’s donkey, we cannot help but offer blessings to others. Train our hearts and tongues in gospel-speak. Make us fluent in the vocabulary of heaven. Convict us quickly when our words are poorly chosen, intentionally hurtful or when there are simply too many of them.
You’ve sealed us for the day of redemption, we don’t want to sadden or grieve you by foolish and hurtful misuses of our words. You’ve called us to build one another up, not tear each other down. You study our needs and only speak helpful words to our hearts. How we praise you for your compassion and kindness.
Do the same through us, we ask. Educate us in the needs of our families and friends, that we may speak words of encouragement and hope to one another—even when that requires saying hard, rebuking and painful words. Indeed, help us communicate the difficult things to one another in ways which reveal the grace and power of the gospel.
Lord Jesus, we would despair about both our hearts and mouths if it weren’t for you. We praise you for taking the Father’s word of final judgment that we might hear him speak words of complete welcome and acceptance to us. So very Amen we pray with great gratitude, in your holy and loving name. Amen.