Walking with the Wise #219: Impeccable Timing

"To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
and a word in season, how good it is!"
—Proverbs 15:23

Do you have good timing? Know when to speak and when to be silent? As the Bible says,

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace”
—Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

Especially relevant to us today are verses 3-4 and 7 which are “a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh” and “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” For some, timing comes naturally; for others of us, we are the awkward many who suffer from foot-in-mouth disease, speaking when we shouldn’t or being quiet when we should speak. Learning the skills of a properly spoken word comes through time and mistakes. We don’t learn if we don’t try ,and we learn best when we mess things up.

All is not lost, however, because we learn from our mistakes and, hopefully, by God’s Spirit guiding us as we grow in maturity, we learn to speak words of wisdom that build up others for their joy. That doesn’t mean we always speak positive words that overlook obvious sins, but it does mean that we are looking for the good of others, using whatever opportunity God gives us to ensure that the person walks with Christ or, if an unbeliever, is at least drawn to Christ through our conversation.

Giving an “apt answer,” as our proverb states, means that we have learned how to respond at the right time, whether that is in a challenging situation we face, or testifying to who Christ is, and  

“always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”—1 Peter 3:15.

Learning when to speak and when to be silent will give us more opportunities for the Savior. Controlling our tongue, using it to build up and speak truth, will endear us to many. As Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, “one word of truth outweighs the whole world.”

May the Lord our God enable our words to be well-springs of life that refresh many. May believers be encouraged through our words to walk more closely with the Savior and may unbelievers be drawn to Him so that they too may be saved and come to the wonderful, life-changing, earth-shattering, hope-giving truth that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of the whole world. Amen.