Devotional: Thoughtful Silence

By Keona Tann

As I read Proverbs 10:19 I was greatly inspired to reflect upon thoughtful silence:
“When there are many words, transgression and offense are unavoidable, But he who controls his lips and keeps thoughtful silence is wise.” Amplified version.
There have been many times that I’ve babbled on simply for the reason of filling an awkward silence. Sadly, I’ve also reacted to a verbal or written attack without careful thought and prayer.

The Passion Translation gets straight to the point:
“If you keep talking, it won’t be long before you’re saying something really wrong. Prove you’re wise from the very start— just bite your tongue and be strong!” Proverbs 10:19 - TPT
‭‭
Incessant babbling, speaking for no reason other than to fill silence, can be a dangerous trap which can lead me to saying something silly or wrong.‬‬‬‬
Speaking without prayer and thought can also be damaging. The Passion Translation suggests that we ‘bite our tongue’, which is another way to say: ‘count to 10 before responding’ and what I try to live my life by is: pray first then respond.
Thoughtful silence I translate as prayer. As I focus my thoughts on Jesus, I allow His Amazing Grace and Transforming Love to change me, which will change my response. Instead of retaliating with hurtful words I can respond with words of truth and life.
One of the weapons we have available to us, through the armour of God, is the Sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). God’s Word transforms us and the situations we face so it is a mighty weapon to have.

As I pressed in for more revelation around this I was led to study Proverbs 17 and I created the following prayer around my study:

Abba Father, I ask for Your discernment so that I can have true knowledge of situations that I face. Grant me wisdom so that I respond to situations with self-control and godly grace. Lord I ask for an understanding heart so that I can be cool, calm and collected in any situation. When I’m provoked and goaded into making a silly retaliation, I pray that I will bite my tongue and look to You Lord. May I always control my tongue and avoid using hurtful words by praying before I speak. Lord when I need to be discreet and close my mouth, grant me the wisdom to do so. When You grant me a message to share I ask for boldness and the right words. Inspired by Proverbs 10:19 & 17:27-28‬ ‭‬‬

I pray that You’re encouraged to reflect upon the phrase thoughtful silence and press into God to find out what it means for you.
Many blessings, Keona

About Keona:
I’ve lived most of my life in Tasmania, which is one of the beautiful Australian states. Deliriously happily married to my college sweetheart for over 20 years, we consider ourselves extremely blessed to be raising 2 wonderful teenagers. Hubby and I have also been long time child sponsors with Compassion so we have overseas kids!
I struggled with illness and disease for most of my life. The biggest battles were: endometriosis for 28 years and adrenal/chronic fatigue which was severe for 28 months. In September 2016 healing was declared over my life, praise God, this set me on a path of deep inner healing, restoration and transformation. My passion to write was reignited and I wrote out a mission statement:
“He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.” Psalm 40:3 (NLT)
I desire to impact the world through the words I share. I long to enrich, empower and encourage others whilst delivering my stories with empathy and understanding.
In my new-found boldness I’ve started a weekly blog which you can find at: https://keonajtann.wordpress.com/
Many Blessings, Keona