A Little Tongue Tied

Nehemiah 2:4-5 - The king asked, "Well, how can I help you?"  With a prayer to the God of Heaven, I replied, "If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried."

Ever get tongue tied when you try to talk to someone?  It could be about anything.  Maybe you meet an attractive woman (or man) and you just can't get the right words out.  You try, but it sounds something like, "jdlksfahfsdkl firuiewourjrl."  What do you do in that situation?  If you're like me, you do what any sensible person would do in that situation.  You find the lamest excuse to leave and get the heck out of there, right?  (If you said no, we'll talk about lying another time).

What if you're sharing the Gospel with someone?  Especially if you're sharing it with someone who may not want to hear it and tries to challenge every aspect of what you are telling them.  Jesus talked about this when He said, "And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don't worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said" (Luke 12:11-12).

As we all know, everyone's an authority, right?  Those who have never heard one peep about the Gospel but challenge it because they were told it was not true, have all the facts, don't they?  I know before I came to know Jesus Christ, I had all the answers, didn't you?  (If you said no, we'll talk about lying another time).

One time, not that long ago, someone was challenging me on some aspect of the Gospel.  They made a good argument regarding their case against Jesus, and I didn't have a response.  I sat there staring at them trying to find the words to say.  All I came up with was, "fjjkdsljhfkla;f urioewur."  Or something to that effect.  I eventually told them I would have to look into what they said and get back to them.  But I felt stupid.  I should have had the answer, shouldn't I?

Not necessarily.  When we get tongue tied like this, the best thing we can do is pray for God to give us the words.  They're His Words anyway, so let Him explain them through us by the power of His Holy Spirit.  We aren't the ones saving people, He is.  We're just the conduit for His Holy Spirit to work through.

In this passage, Nehemiah was scared, even terrified (Nehemiah 2:2).  He didn't know how to respond to the king, who it turns out just wanted to help him.  So what did he do?  He prayed to the God of Heaven.  Whenever I read about the Apostle Peter being so...free speaking...(I didn't want to say bumbling), I think to myself, "He should have probably prayed before he opened his mouth." (See Matthew 17).  However, that's one of the things that I love about Peter.  He's so much like me.  Oftentimes, I catch myself in one of those situations where my mouth moves faster than my brain, and I blurt out stuff that makes me cringe afterwards.  I think we all do that. (If you say you don't, we'll talk about lying another time).

I love God's promise to give us the words we need to say at the right time.  That's just another way for Him to show us how much He loves us and wants to use us for His work.  I don't mind getting tongue tied so much, because God has shown me the best way to untie my tongue.  All we have to do is ask for His help, and He is faithful to help us.

Abba Father, thank You for helping me through those tough situations when I can't find the right words to say.  I know I haven't always been faithful in coming to You for help, but I am grateful that You have always been faithful to help when I did come to You.  I pray that I will remember to come to You in prayer first so that I will have the words You want me to say on the tip of my tongue, and through the power of Your Holy Spirit, someone can be saved by the power of hearing Your Word and Your Spirit stirring in their hearts.  I pray for those that get tongue tied like a lot of us do.  My prayer is they will seek Your help in untying their tongues, and through Your power and Your Word, they can be a conduit for the work of Your saving grace.  In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!



God Bless!!!