“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
This passage from Deuteronomy is a wonderful example of the “talking life” of the believer. We’re to speak of God and His Word all the time. While Deuteronomy 6:7 says that we’re to speak of God’s Word to our children diligently, it goes on to say that we are to speak of God and His Word when we’re sitting in our houses, when we’re walking out in the world, when we’re lying down and when we’re getting up. In other words, each and every time we open our mouths something about God should come out.
Now this may seem crazy. You may be thinking, how can I talk about God all the time? Well, I don’t think that God’s Word says that each and every word should be about God. If that were the case, nothing would get done. God doesn’t want us to replace every, “I’d like a salad instead of the fries, please” or “Can I have unleaded gas, please” with a sentence about Him. If we did that we’d get nowhere. Instead, God is asking us to bring Him into each and every situation. Now that is completely possible. When we’re ordering our salad, we can take the opportunity to talk to the waiter about the beautiful day that the Lord has created. When we’re getting our gas, we can talk to the gas station attendant about how the Lord blessed us today. There’s always an opportunity to speak of the Lord.
If we go back to Deuteronomy 6:7 for a minute, we see that we’re to speak of God in our houses. What does that mean? Well, each time we talk on the phone from home or sit around the dining room table, or walk through the house picking up dirty clothes, we can tell someone around us something about God, what we read in His Word, or what He has done for us today. Now, you might be thinking, what if no one else is at home? Well, what a perfect time to talk to God Himself! Talking about God doesn’t always have to be to other people. When we talk to God about who He is we’re praising Him for His amazing qualities. You can never go wrong in a conversation if you’re praising God. We can also take the time we have with Him to thank Him for all He’s done. We can even take the time to pour our broken hearts out to Him. There’s never a time when we can’t be talking to our Saviour.
Deuteronomy 6:7 also speaks of talking about God as we “walkest by the way”. When we’re out and about in the world, we have a responsibility to talk to others about God. Our mission field begins when we step out the door. Each and every interaction that we have is an opportunity to talk to someone about Christ, about what He’s done, or about how your life has changed since you met Him. There are endless possibilities for conversations when the subject is God. Sometimes talking to others about God seems scary. It’s scary because we put our fears of offending others or making them angry above God’s commandment to tell others about Him. When we get scared, we forget two things. Number one, God promises that His Word will never go out and then return void. Isaiah 55:11 is clear, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Number two, the Holy Spirit promises to bring the words to our mouths that we need. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). If we ask God to give us the words to say, we can be sure that He will. Remember, when we speak of the Lord during our comings and goings, we can be confident that it will accomplish the purpose He has planned.
Lastly, Deuteronomy 6:7 says that we are to speak of the Lord’s Words “when thou liest down, and when thou risest up”. In other words, as you go to sleep at night and as you rise in the morning, talk to God. He’s waiting to talk to you. Just as we talked about a few paragraphs back, remember that you can talk to God about everything. You can talk to Him about who He is, about what He’s done, and about what He’s going to do. You can talk to Him about the changes that He’s made in your life, and the plans He has for you. There’s nothing too big or too small to discuss with God. Remember, He’s not only your Saviour and your Lord, but He wants to be your best friend.
Friends, talking to God and about God should bring joy to your heart. There is power in His Word and power in talking to Him. Believe that, and each time you open your mouth, speak something of the Lord. No matter if it’s an explanation of the miracle of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, or a simple, “do you know that God loves you?”, God’s Word will not go void, and His purposes will be accomplished. Talk about God, my friends, and the blessings of your conversations will return to you.