Opening Up

“O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” Psalm 51:15

I had a conversation before school one day with the dean of my high school.  “Conversation” may be a strong word.  He was asking me questions and I was able to handle all of them with one word answers.  He concluded our talk with the observation, “Paul you are a man of few words.”  Of which I responded, “yup!”   

What brings us to a place that we can open our mouths and speak?  It might be easier to start on the other side of the thought: what makes us keep our mouth closed?  As I reflect on myself I realize a lot of it has to do with insecurity.  I don’t want to open my mouth because what I have to say may not be intelligent.  Or what I have to say may not be interesting to anyone but me.  These thoughts begin to uncover my problem.  I think way too much about myself! 

This is why the gospel is so important to me.  It comes to me exactly as I am and says to me exactly what I need to hear.  “Paul, you aren’t the most intelligent or the most interesting, but I am,” says Jesus, “and I have chosen you to be with me.”  The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are not much on our own as he wrote to the Church in Corinth, but Christ is.  And He chose us so we have no reason to boast in ourselves (1 Corinthians 1:29).  But because Christ is so awesome, we have a lot we can say about Him.  

So as we spend time this week with other people and we wrestle with what to say, let the Psalm be a prayer from our hearts, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.”As again we are reminded by the Apostle Paul, “Therefore as it is written: “let him who boasts boast in the Lord”” (1 Corinthians 1:31).