Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
(Luke 21:14-15)
Please, Spirit of God, teach me when and how to speak. I am always tempted to rehearse, but how can I know ahead of time what others will say or do?
Just today, I aborted a message. I started to write something about not being like Eeyore, and it sounded exactly like Eeyore. Fortunately, I could delete it. Once a word comes out of my mouth, though, I cannot take it back.
Your wisdom is not just in our response, but in the courage to respond. There are times when the best reply is silence, but we cannot know when that is appropriate unless we trust in you. How often I say, “Let go and let God.” The only way to do that is to take a step back and listen. Only you can instruct me.
Today, I will strive to be spontaneous, not by saying whatever pops into my mind, but by pausing so that you can speak and act through me. The more people I encounter, the more opportunities I will have to carry out this resolution, and there will be many chances the next few days. You always test me, and so often I fail miserably. Yet you teach me through my failure. Help me to listen carefully, to you and to my brothers and sisters in you.