Read: Proverbs 10:11-21
Proverbs 15:1-7
James 3:1-12
“He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who spreads
slander is a fool.” – Psalm 10:18
So many people try to lure me into gossip by using the guise of a
prayer request. They give their lurid details of something they heard or saw
and expect me to carry on the prattle. Have you ever noticed that the gossip often talks with his/her hand
in front of their mouth and a sly smirk on their lips with their eyes rolling
into the back of their head. They usually end the narration with a nervous
little laugh that definately gives them away.
There are legitimate needs to share in prayer requests, and I am always
glad to hear of them and to pray for them. I love to pray. I trust God to listen to my requests, and I see results from my prayers. I always end my requests with the words
of the prayer that never fails, “Lord, Thy will be done.”
It’s the catty chitchat, which people bring to my attention, which distresses
me. This mostly comes from hearsay and grows more sensational with each
telling. By the time it gets to me, there are very few facts left and the truth
is nowhere to be found!
I once heard a preacher say, “If you aren’t part of the problem or the solution, refuse to
hear the tale about someone else.” I think those are very wise words. My pastor
husband has a rule that when someone brings gossip to him, he immediately takes
that person to the one being discussed. This often stops the rumor in its
tracks, or it may even cause the gossiper to backpedal and refuse to go to the
person at all.
If the facts of the allegation are substantiated, then we can pray for the request. If it is merely hearsay, then we have a moral obligation to dismiss the information and definitely not to repeat it. If we take this stand, then soon
the gossipmongers will stop coming to us at all, which will relieve us of this
burden. Prayerfully, they will also stop gossiping!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have come to learn that when there are many words, transgression is unavoidable. Your Word tells me that it is wise to restrains my lips. I want to have the tongue of the righteous, which is as choice silver, because the heart of the wicked is worth little. Give me the lips of the righteous, so I may feed many. I do not want to die for lack of understanding as a fool (Proverbs 10: 19-21).
Thought for the Day:
If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. (James 3: 2b).
