Day 20 — Wise Words

“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”

— Proverbs 31:26 (BSB)

In Book 1, we looked at Proverbs 31, the chapter describing a woman who honors God. We saw that she wears “strength and honor” and that she “fears the LORD.”

Today, let’s look at another part of her description: “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”

This woman is a leader, and one of the ways she leads is with her words. When she speaks, people listen, because what she says is wise, kind and true.

Wise words are a kind of leadership. Think about the girls in your friend group. Is there one girl whose words everyone seems to follow? When she says, “Let’s play this,” everyone plays. When she says, “That’s not cool,” people stop. Her words lead the group, for better or worse.

What if your words led people toward good things?

• When friends are gossiping, you could say, “Let’s talk about something else.”
• When someone is being left out, you could say, “Come join us!”
• When a friend is about to make a bad choice, you could gently say, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
• When someone is discouraged, you could say, “You can do this. I believe in you.”
• When a friend is scared, you could say, “Let’s pray about it.”

Notice the words “faithful instruction is on her tongue.” Faithful means trustworthy and true. Instruction means teaching. Her words help people learn what’s right.

Where does wisdom like that come from? It comes from knowing God and His Word. The more you read the Bible, pray and learn from wise people, the more wisdom you’ll have to share.

You don’t have to be a grown-up to lead with wise words. A young girl whose words are kind, wise and true can make a big difference.

Think about it: Whose words do you tend to follow? Are your words leading your friends toward good things or not-so-good things?

Try this: Use your words to lead someone toward something good today: to include someone, to be kind or to trust God.

Dear God, I want to open my mouth with wisdom. Help me learn from Your Word so my words can help others. Let my words lead my friends toward good things and toward You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.