"Word Herd"
I need to get them rounded up,
All the words I say,
It’s time to do a round-up,
‘Cause some have gone astray.
A few are simply runaways,
And, yes, they’ll jump a fence,
To gather them I’ll need some help,
Some cowboys with some sense.
Some words I need to rope and tie,
Bind them up, you see,
They really need some doctoring,
So they won’t careless be.
Others I should just let go,
And drive them far away,
They really are the devil’s tools,
I should not let them stay.
Some just should be sorted,
And put in the right place,
So that I get their timing right,
And with the Spirit’s pace.
My word herd needs some tendin’,
‘Cause it shows what’s inside,
The heart comes out the mouth you see,
And impossible to hide.
And that herd brings both life and death,
It has that kind of power,
Pays to get it gathered in,
No matter day or hour.
Drover for the word herd,
That’s what we’re called to be,
Not with someone else’s words,
But what belongs to me.
“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies…” (1 Peter 3:10, NLT).
Words have power, and manifest what is going on inside of us. So, it’s wise not only to take a spiritual inventory of the words we habitually speak, but connect them to their inner source. Do you have the habit, for example, of speaking angry words? If so, there is a root cause of anger below the surface, perhaps an unhealed wound that needs the application of grace. Are your words typically negative? Perhaps they come from an inner attitude of unbelief and unthankfulness. What if they could bottle every word we speak in a day and then pour the contents over our heads at the end of the day? Would the words make us clean or dirty? Would they hurt or heal? It’s a good question and one we should consider. Then ask the Lord to help us.
Lord, we pray Your help in rounding up and tending to our words and why we speak them, in Jesus’ name.
Art by Bill Anton, billantonstudio.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bill, and God bless you.