Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #49 Right Time, Right Word
Remember how good it felt to raise your hand in school when you knew you had the right answer? You couldn’t wait for the teacher to call on you, couldn’t wait to hear her say, “Yes! Well done.”
Not much different now, really, when you’re in a Bible study, and the leader asks someone to share what they’ve learned from a passage.
Pick me, pick me.
When God gives us good words to say, we need to speak up. But if we’re not careful, we’ll be that guy (or girl). You know the one. Full of pride, showing off, wanting to impress, forgetting where that knowledge or insight came from in the first place.
Especially for those of us who love to hear the sound of our own voice (we know who we are), here’s a word from Proverbs we can all to take to heart.
A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word! Proverbs 15:23
A person finds joy…
Joy is an all-good thing. No calories, no cost, no worries, no down side. Good for the body, good for the soul.
The Hebrew word used here means “gladness, mirth,” so we’re talking a serious party. Not just short-lived happiness, but “great joy” (VOICE) that lasts a long time. Like maybe forever. And it’s universal, something “everyone enjoys” (NLT).
Okay, we’re in.
But there’s a catch. This joy is outward focused. We do it for the good of someone else, and not for ourselves. The “pleasure” (MSG) we experience is a by-product of doing the right thing. Or, in this case, saying the right thing.
Want more joy in your life? Speak words that bless others.
…in giving an apt reply—
I may be an English major, but I seldom use a phrase like “apt reply” when I’m talking to a friend. Kinda stuffy. “A good answer” (ERV) or “good advice” (EXB) helps me grasp what God is saying, which I believe is this:
When someone asks you a question, and the answer you give them is “appropriate” (CEB) or “fitting” (NLT) or “suitable” (WYC), that means the Lord has used you to dish out a blessing.
So, who gets the glory for this apt reply? Right. God, not us.
As a writer, my own words come slowly, even painfully. They are not the words most people remember. Ever.
When the Holy Spirit steps forward and breathes life into us, suddenly our words have power. God’s power, not ours. God’s wisdom, not ours.
I’m guessing you’ve had an experience similar to one of these two:
A friend asks you a tough spiritual question. Immediately, almost effortlessly, a wise and biblical answer pours out of your mouth, one that meets her needs and solves her problem. You think, Where did that come from?
It came from God.
Or you’re asked to speak, so you carefully prepare a message. Then, right in the middle of your speech, an unplanned comment pops out that just rings true. The audience nods or claps or shouts “Amen.” All the while you’re thinking, Man, I need to write that down!
Yes, you do.
Another translation of Proverbs 15:23 reads, “Joy belongs to a man with answers in his mouth” (LEB). Too right. When you are fully aware that the answers you speak are God working through you to bless another believer…well, that’s joy.
Shared joy, at that.
…and how good is…
Good is a word that’s easy to discount. On a scale of Horrible to Fabulous, humble good falls in the middle somewhere. We equate it with “okay” or “average” or “nice.”
That’s not how this good works. Oh no. Think “wonderful” (TLB), “beautiful!” (MSG), “delightful” (NASB). Think “good!” (GW) with an exclamation point. Fact is, “there is nothing better” (ERV) and it’s “always best” (WYC).
When my son sees something he likes and responds, “Sweet!” (VOICE). he’s saying more than he knows.
Just for fun, try this today: Whenever you see the word good, mentally drop one o and see if it reveals the source of that goodness: God. From the very beginning, “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10). He defines good in terms of himself. All that he makes is good. Including you, beloved.
…a timely word!
We read a Scripture someone posted on Facebook or scribbled on a greeting card, and think, “That is exactly the word I needed from God today!”
Yes, it is. Exactly.
God offers “just the right word” (GNT) to meet our needs, to alter our thinking, to change our hearts, to shape our behavior. It comes “at the right moment” (AMP) and is “spoken in due season” (KJV). That’s how much God loves you. He knows your needs, your hurts, your seasons. And he often meets those needs through another one of his children.
As it happens, I wrote this post while traveling through the Holy Land with a group of lifelong friends. (Now you know why I’m a day late. SO sorry!) How good is God, to have chosen this verse for this week, while the six of us are living out Proverbs 15:23 as we open his Word, seek his truth, and encourage one another with timely words.
Wherever this week finds you, I pray you too will experience his kind of JOY.
A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word! Proverbs 15:23
Now, here’s your Printable of Proverbs 15:23, with four copies of our verse on a single page. Cut them apart and post them where they’ll help you imprint God’s Word on your heart.
You’ll also find our verses on Pinterest, with a new addition each week. Love doing these for you!
Now it’s your turn
Just one question for you:
Have you ever had an experience like the two I mentioned, when you sensed God offering a timely word through you? Describe it for us.
Please post your comment below. We love learning from you!
Can’t wait to dive into #48 next Wednesday, coming to you live from Jerusalem.
Your sister, Liz
@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs
