The Importance of Guarding Our Speech: Insights from Psalm 34:13

“Guard your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.” – Psalm 34:13

The psalmist’s words here strike with surprising force. In just a few short phrases, we’re called to an active, ongoing vigilance over something we often take for granted—our speech. The Hebrew word translated “guard” (נְצֹר) carries the sense of placing something under watch, keeping it from harm—or in this case, from causing harm. That means our tongues and lips are always under threat of being overtaken by evil or deceit if we’re not paying attention.

This isn’t merely about avoiding profanity or inappropriate jokes, though that matters too. It’s about our whole orientation toward speech. What we say has moral weight. It shapes our relationships, reflects our hearts, and aligns us with either truth or treachery.

The very first psalm warns against keeping company with scoffers and mockers—those who use words to tear down, distort, and mock what is good. God does not delight in vulgar language, coarse joking, or manipulative speech. He calls us not only to walk in light and truth but to speak it as well. Our words should mirror the One we follow.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” That’s not just a restriction—it’s a commission. Our mouths are meant to be instruments of edification. We should speak life into others, not poison. We should be known not merely by the absence of evil in our speech, but by the presence of goodness, wisdom, and grace.

The need to “guard” implies a continual threat, and therefore, a continual awareness. If we are not deliberate, we will drift. And that drift can turn our words into weapons, even unintentionally.

Let’s be people who reflect the truth of Christ not only in our actions but in our words. Let’s be vigilant, mindful, and measured—because what we say matters. Let every word be seasoned with grace, shaped by truth, and offered in love.