Celtic Spiritual Poetry (25)
My speech—may it praise You without flaw:
May my heart love You, King of heaven and earth.
My speech—may it praise You without flaw:
Make it easy for me, pure Lord,
to do You all service and to adore You.
– Anonymous, Irish, 12th century[1]
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
– Ephesians 4.29
At your service
Here’s a little prayer that can serve us throughout the day, helping us to remember that all our words are to be spoken to build others up in the love of Christ.
We don’t know the author of this verse, but we can imagine that he was like us in many ways, who sometimes let our words fly before we’ve thought about what we ought to say. Then it’s too late. Without thinking—or thinking ungraciously—our words end up being more hurtful than helpful. Then, not only do they wound our neighbor, they dishonor the Lord, Whom we serve with all our words.
Like the Jesus prayer, which can be prayed in sync with the rhythm of breathing—“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God” (breathe in), “have mercy on me, a sinner” (breathe out)—this repeated line, breathed in and out during the day, can help make sure our speech is always directed at building others up in the love of God: “My speech” (breathe in slowly, as you think about what you might say), “may it praise You without flaw” (breathe out, just before you speak).
An ancient Celtic poem/prayer, at your service.
Attending to our words
We should pay more careful attention to all our words and deeds, making the best use of them for the glory of God (Matt. 5.13-16; Eph. 5.15-17; 1 Cor. 10.31). Because our tongues are the hardest bodily members to tame, we need to devote ourselves more conscientiously to making sure the words that come out of our mouths are words of love for God and our neighbors (Jms. 3.2-5).
Today you will distribute words here and there, to this person and that, much of the time without a great deal of thought or concern. “Hey, how you doin’?” “What’s up?” “Fine, just fine; you?” “How was your day?” “Please pass the salt.” “Will you hand me the remote?” “Did you hear about…?”
When we consider what a great gift it is to be able to communicate with words, in sentences adorned by emphasis, pace, guided by grammar, and appropriate volume, it seems a shame that we should ever utter even a single word without selecting it carefully, like a master bowman would an arrow, and aiming it at a consciously-chosen target. Speaking, after all, is a kind of art form, and one of those “whatever you do” areas where we have the potential for glorifying God throughout the day.
The words that pass from us to others are laden with potential, either for good or ill. If we wish them to be the former, then we must nurture love for Christ and our neighbors in our hearts and make it our business to serve and adore the Lord with all our speech. But seasoning our words with grace doesn’t come naturally (Col. 4.6); we’ll have to work at this discipline, like any other. And making our words a matter of prayer is an excellent place to start.
Daily prayer
Using this prayer at several times throughout the day—perhaps as you are going into a meeting, or know you’ll be talking with someone—can set your soul to guard and guide your speech, so that your words become a means of grace to the people who hear you.
We show that we love Christ in conversation when we devote our words as vessels of love to build others up in grace. And, like anything devoted to the Lord, we should try to make our words as spotless, faultless, and pure as we can.
“My speech—may it praise You without flaw.” This humble prayer, offered at various times throughout the day, can move us toward the goal of all our conversation, which is to minister grace to others through speech that edifies, words that attract others to Jesus and urge them to become more like Him. They who experience edification and uplift from our words will linger and pay attention when we speak, and this can make all our speech, no matter the subject or duration, part of an ongoing conversation about the grace of God and the Good News of His Kingdom.
Let’s not be sloppy about our speech, but seek to “do all service” to the Lord and show our adoration for Him by the way we use our words to edify others.
For Reflection
1. How can you prepare each day to make sure all your speech is edifying?
2. What should you do when you become aware of having used your speech in an unedifying manner?
Psalm 141.3, 4
Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns!
LORD, set a guard upon my mouth; let not my heart to evil bend,
nor let me work iniquity in company with wicked men.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
If you’d like to learn more about the Celtic Revival, download our free PDF introduction by clicking here.
Other columns of interest: This week: Our ReVision column continues the study of “Everyday Christianity.” The Read Moorepodcast features excerpts from Patrick: A Devotional History. The focus of our Scriptorium daily study is on “Matthew: The Coming of the Kingdom.” Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you. You can subscribe or update your subscriptions by going to the bottom of the home page.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
[1] Davies, p. 260.
