Word Problems
By Elin Henderson
“…for out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks.”
Matthew 12:34b (KJV)
As much as I loved math in school,
there was one aspect of it that made my palms sweat and my body nearly break
out in hives: the dreaded “Word Problem.” Give me an equation, and I will
happily solve away. But start throwing a bunch of words about trains moving one
way and cars driving another, and I want to throw in the pencil!
I don’t do math equations that often
these days but for some reason these word problems keep haunting me. Only they
aren’t mathematic, they are mouth-ematic! Anyone else out there able to empathize with
me? My words cause me more problems than any equation ever did. I know that
this is a human problem that we
all share. Otherwise, why would there be so many Scripture verses written about
it?
“Be quick to hear, slow to
speak...” [1]
“Let no corrupt communication proceed
out of your mouth…” [2]
“The tongue is a fire, a
world of iniquity…” [3]
Warning after warning, exhortation
after exhortation… Why? Because it’s the gateway to the heart, and the revealer
of what’s really going on inside of us.
In his book The War of Words,
Paul Tripp says, “The war of words is really a war of sovereignty.” [4] In my
life lately, I have been increasingly challenged to take my “word problems”
seriously. Is God sovereign over this situation or not? And if so, how does
that affect the words that flow out of my mouth? As my heart grows in its rest
in the Sovereignty of God, my words will reflect that. My word problems emerge
when I try to take the throne of control and make my view known and my way
clear.
So the next time mouth-ematics
throws a word problem your way, don’t throw in the towel or the pencil. But
rather look to the Sovereign Head Master to help you pass the exam and bring
you word victories for His glory!
GOING DEEPER:
1.
How can resting in God bring you victory over
your potential word problems?
2.
Is unrest resulting in word problems for
you?
FURTHER
READING:
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin
Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters
with Ethnos 360 in Mozambique, Africa.
Elin is mother to eighteen-year-old Callie and fifteen-year-old Elias.
[1] James 1:19
[2] Ephesians 4:29
[3] James 4:6
[4] Tripp, Paul David, War of Words, P& R Publishing,
Phillipsburg, NJ; 2000.
