You Can’t Take Words Back—A Prayer for Life-Giving Ones

Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Psalm 141:3

Words don’t vanish—they land, they last, and they shape hearts in ways we may never know.

A mom wanted to teach her young son about the importance of his words. She handed him a tube of toothpaste and asked him to squeeze the toothpaste out into the sink. He thought that was great fun! Then, she asked him to put it back in the tube. “Ever tried to put toothpaste back in the tube?” she says? “Spoiler alert: You can’t. Our words are a lot like that—once they’re out, there’s no going back. We have all felt the sting of words we wish we could un-hear.”[1] Most of us have also felt that sinking feeling when we instantly wished that we could take back unkind words that just left our mouths.

Now there are people who carefully think things through before they speak. But maybe you’re like Josh. He processes things by talking about them—when a thought crosses his mind, seconds later, it comes out his mouth. Sometimes he wishes those thoughts stayed in his head a little longer.

A godly man once prayed, “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips” (Psalm 141:3). We can ask God, not only to help us control the negative words but replace them with life-giving ones. “Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body,” say the Proverbs (16:24). Simple comments like, “I love the way you are.” “I appreciate you.” Or “I’m here for you,” can have a powerful, lasting impact on a person when spoken over them regularly.

So today, ask God to fill your mouth with words that build up. The words you speak today might just shape someone’s tomorrow.

[1] Megan Fate, [@meganfate]. April 29.” Instagram, April 29, 2025, https://www.instagram.com/p/DJCSkMUp-CK/.