A Timely Word

By Benjamin H. Liles

A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is! ~ Proverbs 15:23, NKJV

As I start today I know there are times where I feel I am unable to do much; both on behalf of God's Kingdom as well as for myself. And it calls to mind how the Lord cares and loves us. He has Jeremiah saying, "For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who [experience hardship]" (31:25, New American Standard). How does this help a soul who truly needs help at a given moment? In another version, Solomon is saying "What a joy it is to find just the right word for the right occasion" (Proverbs 15:23, Good News Translation).

You could be going through one of the worst seasons of your life at this moment and still God loves you so much to do everything He can to get your attention. He's like a father who misses his rebellious child, wondering and stricken; a spouse missing their love, heart-broken and reduced. I feel this is a word God wants used today for someone whose heart is indeed broken. It's a word where God is encouraging you to find and seek Him. At the same time I also want to add that not one single person has it together in how they use their mouth.

James says in his letter to the church, "The tongue is like a fire. It is a world of evil among the parts of our body. It spreads its evil through our whole body and starts a fire that influences all of life. It gets this fire from hell" (James 3:6, Easy to Read). Even if it were an easy thing every single day to use our mouths to bless others, it's still an amazingly hard thing to master it and continually be a blessing. I believe it's why we're told as His people, "But keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have" (1 Peter 3:15, Easy to Read).

So, what are some things we can do to keep our hopes up when things seem down and out? Here are some things we can do:

1) Meditate on His word -  "His delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2, New American Standard). When we think on Him and His word, bringing things He said back into our mind we can often renewed and refreshed.

2) Commit His word to memory - "Therefore, you shall impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul, and tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as bands (frontals, frontlets) on your forehead" (Deuteronomy 11:18, Amplified). Having His word memorized is most often a good way to do battle with those discouraging thoughts that invade your life.

3) Call to memory all God has done for you - "In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end" (Deuteronomy 8:16, New American Standard). In such times as you are going through currently, think of it as being refined and recall how much the Lord God has brought you from where you once were. 

I readily admit I never have the best of words or even ideas on how to do things, even in the right manner. For this, I thank Him who gave me the wife I have. If it weren't for her I would forget certain things. It reminds me that when I go to the store I have to have a list. And this matches up with "committing His word to memory." Some times I can remember exactly what she's told me and things go really well as a result. Other times when I forget things don't go so well. That's why it's so important to never forget what God does in our lives, especially through those who love us enough to keep us informed.

And yet it's a great reminder when someone has such a word where you can be restored, refreshed, made new and to be brought back in where God wants you to be, which is with Him by His side. So, I leave you with this final thought: "So then, as we have occasion, we should work good toward all, and especially toward those of the household of the faith" (Galatians 6:10, Berean Literal). God's word, more than anything, is a reminder of how much He not only loves us, but constantly looks for us who tend to wander away (maybe this would make for a great post soon?). Hopefully, this is a timely word for the one who needs it the most. God bless you and keep you in Him.