Ebb and Flow

Galveston Bay

I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever; I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations with my mouth.

Psalms 89:1 CSB

For many years I loved this verse because it reminded me of the joy of singing. Today I am more focused on the second half and the idea of proclaiming with my mouth. So much of my life now is about writing and preaching, but I tend to feel like those are inadequate as service to God and to the world. Words are so small and fleeting. Most of what we read or hear is so easily forgotten.  But a song goes on forever. 

I was surprised to learn today that the mouth of a river is not its beginning, as I had previously thought, but instead it is the point at which it flows into a larger body of water. The picture above is where the San Jacinto and Trinity rivers flow into Galveston Bay. The waters mixing together make fertile environments for all sorts of wildlife. The mouth of a river is a place of abundance. 

In Matthew 12:34 Jesus says, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Surely that's why so many verses in the Bible encourage us to take good care of our hearts, our inner selves. "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Whatever comes out of our mouths is where the river inside us joins the larger body of life that is the people around us.  

Words can hurt or heal. May we be taking care of our insides so that we are pouring out God's goodness and hope instead of cynicism and despair. It can be challenging. I wish talking to a psychologist were as easy as seeing other kinds of doctors.  It's worth the effort. 

May God bless our efforts to be the mouthpiece of his grace.

Thanks, God.