Daily Devotionals for Women - Today's Encouraging Word from Scripture

Your Nightly Prayer

Lord, Make Me Slow to Speak
Your Nightly Prayer
by Amanda Idleman

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” - James 1:19

SOMETHING TO PONDER

This evening prayer asks God to help us cultivate peace in our conversations, especially when tension rise in close quarters during summer.

Summer often entails a lot of togetherness. This is a gift we should relish, but it’s also a challenge, as being together so much can raise tensions. Summer isn’t harder only because of all the extra time spent together; the lack of routine can make us feel out of sorts.

We must follow the advice in scripture to avoid “blow-up moments” that we will live to regret. Be quick to listen. That looks like taking time to process the words that we use before responding. We choose to be unhurried in our responses.

Slow to speak. We have to use wisdom with our words. When we speak, our words should matter. They should go further because it’s not mindless chatter, it’s thoughtful conversation.

Slow to be angry. Anger sometimes comes to us just as easily as breathing does. It’s a reflexive reaction to things in our lives that cause us stress and grief, but anger often burns bridges. We must learn to calm our bodies so we don’t hurt others.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

God,
As we spend more time together this summer, help us cultivate habits that will keep the peace in our homes. Please help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. When I mess up, give me the strength to apologize humbly. Please help me to savor the extra time spent with my loved ones this summer.
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. Being slow to anger happens best when our bodies are not stressed out. Practice calming your body with deep breathing. Breathe in for four and breathe out for six. Repeat.

2. How can you slow down to better listen to the people around you?

3. Practice a two-second pause tomorrow before responding in conversation so you can better choose your words.

Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is encouraging others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for Your Nightly Prayer, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, Your Daily Prayer, and more. She has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com, Biblestudytools.com, and Christianity.com. She has most recently published a devotional, Comfort: A 30 Day Devotional Exploring God's Heart of Love for Mommas, alongside her husband’s companion devotional, Shepherd. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram.