The Starting Place of Our Words

And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. Luke 1:64

Silence had marked Zecharias’ life for almost a year. An angel had told him of his impending inability to speak because of his unbelief and said that would be his way of life until the things spoken had come to pass. Of course, God could have made his consequences for unbelief last until every prophet word about his son had come to pass but that was not the case. In actuality it lasted for eight days after his birth. Upon letting people know that he would be called John, Zecharias was finally able to speak his first words since his encounter in the temple. Can you imagine the how strange his own voice would have sounded?

His experience of living without speaking had given him plenty of time to think. I am sure he went through many emotions during that time. Maybe there were times of regret, self-pity, anger, frustration, and fear. But there is not a hint of this when he is given back the gift of speech. His ability to talk began with praise of God. This shows me that instead of harboring a bitter attitude he had cultivated a deeper walk with God. What came out of his mouth exposed what was in his heart. He had been given the gift of seeing first hand that God keeps His Word and accomplishes His will. God’s faithfulness, sovereignty, and control must have been a part of his voiced praise that day. What had built up for a little over nine months had finally been allowed to escape his lips and it was praise!

This causes me to think back to my own reaction to the uncomfortable events in my life. I have a choice as to what I choose to dwell on during those times. I can choose to dwell on the negative and grow bitter throughout my difficulty or I can choose to keep my eyes on Jesus and develop a heart of praise for what He is going to accomplish through all of it. I can take the attitude it will do me in or do me good. Whatever I choose will have a definite effect on the words that come from my mouth. If I am going to be like Zecharias when I come out on the other side of a hard time then I must take every thought captive as I go through the hard time.

Father, You have already said all things will work out for good. May I rejoice over the end of the story even when I don’t presently see it. Amen.