Praying for our students through the year - day 17 (Q) Quiet

Ecclesiastes 3:7b

Today we are praying that our children, and ourselves, learn the virtue of being quiet. We need to learn to hold our tongues. The tongue has incredible power, it can build up or destroy in a matter of seconds. It can bring blessings or curse others, praises or words of hate. Colossians 4:6 tells us to let our words be seasoned with salt and full of grace. In Ephesians we are told to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, to only say things that are beneficial. Have you ever heard if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?...well sometimes it may be better for us to be QUIET! Pray your child learns when it is best to just be quiet. Pray they learn to be quiet in class, church, or during other times of instruction. Also pray they learn how to be quiet before their Heavenly Father. Lord, teach us to hold our tongues. I once read a book called "When to Speak Up, and When to Shut Up" - some things to ponder before speaking are: 

1. Does the situation directly involve me?
2. Do I have something valuable and purposeful to contribute by speaking?
3. What will happen by my speaking or being silent? 
4. What will the consequences be (good and bad) if I choose to speak or be silent?
5. What are the motives of my speaking or being silent?

"There will be times when we speak out instead of remaining silent and there will be times we are silent when a voice should come forth." ---Michael D. Sedler

We all probably have past regrets of when we spoke wrong words or didn't speak when we knew we should have. Pray that your past choices of how your used your tongue will guide you in how you chose to speak or be quiet in the future. We can all learn from past mistakes. We want our words to glorify God, bring healing, salvation, and honor to God - not self. We want them to promote more holy communication and learning, not destruction. On the other hand, we want our QUIET to bring personal time with the Lord, learning and time for Him to speak to us. We do not want our lack of words to reflect pouting or anger. It can be difficult to discern when to speak and when to be silent, that is why praying for discernment (day 4) must never stop. Teach your child the value of quietness and meditation. Teach them how to be quiet before the Lord. Show them how to read God's Word and how to meditate on it. When we meditate on God's Word we are quite before The Word, deliberately focusing on it, reflecting on the meaning and context, studying the passage to learn from it - not just reading it - we cannot do this is we are reading it and moving on with out stopping and being quite before the Lord. God's voice is steady and unwavering, yet we must quiet our voices and soul to be able to hear it. Pray your children will learn to be quiet daily before the Lord and allow Him to speak to their soul. Pray He will quiet their fears, anxiety, and self-doubt of their tempted bodies, and help them realized they are made for more! Once we learn to be QUIET before the Lord then we will be able to SHOUT his mercy, grace, love and forgiveness to the world around us from the rooftops!

"A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back." Proverbs 29:11 

“Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray." Job 6:24

"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble." Proverbs 21:23 

"What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops." Matthew 10:27 ESV

"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." Mark 1:35 ESV - Jesus even got away by himself to be quiet and alone with God. He is our perfect example of how to live. Spending quiet time alone with Him keeps us focused and helps us not get overwhelmed or burned out. Make sure you are quiet before the Lord today!