The Tongue Like the Brush of a Calligrapher

“My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready writer” (Psalm 45:1).

In the living room of our house, there is a large picture frame hanging on the wall. Inside this large frame, there are four Chinese characters written in calligraphy, and those four characters are "기도만능" (which means "Prayer is all-powerful"). Of course, my wife and I do not know Chinese. The meaning of those characters, "Prayer is all-powerful," was something I learned from an elder. This calligraphy, "Prayer is all-powerful," was given to us as a wedding gift from a pastor who is a friend of my father. This pastor is a missionary who serves in maritime missions in Canada. I still remember when this missionary visited our church and preached about obeying God's word. He gave an example that has stayed with me. He explained that when driving a car, if you put it in "D," it moves forward; if you put it in "R," it goes backward; and if you put it in "P," it parks. He said that in the same way, when God tells us to go forward, we must go forward in faith. When God tells us to look back, we should reflect on the grace God has given us, and when God tells us to stand still, we should stop and quietly experience God's sovereignty. I thought those words were very precious. If God commands us to move forward, we should move forward in faith. If God tells us to look back, we should think about the grace He has shown us. And if God tells us to stand still and acknowledge His sovereignty, we should do so. As I reflect on the calligraphy of "Prayer is all-powerful," written with care by that missionary, I am confident that he believed in the power of prayer and that he lives a life of prayer, which is why he wrote that precious piece for us.

Now, look at the second part of Psalm 45:1: “... my tongue is like the pen of a ready writer.” When I think of this verse, I am reminded of the calligraphy that the missionary wrote, “Prayer is all-powerful.” Although the words are important, what stands out to me is the missionary's conviction in the power of prayer and his life of prayer. In other words, the heart of the one who wrote the calligraphy is more important than the calligraphy itself. Similarly, our tongue, like the brush of a calligrapher, is important, but what is even more important is the heart of the one who uses that tongue. The reason for this is that what is in our heart comes out through our tongue. If our heart overflows with love, the message of love will come out through our tongue. But if our heart is filled with hatred, the words of hatred will inevitably come out through our tongue. Of course, even if there is hatred in our heart, we can lie with our tongue and say "I love you." But, logically speaking, if there is hatred in our heart, the sounds of hatred will inevitably come out of our tongue. Therefore, when we think about the tongue, which is like the brush of a calligrapher, as the psalmist says, we must also think about the heart of the person who owns that tongue. I have thought about this heart in two ways.

First, the heart of the person who possesses a tongue like the brush of a calligrapher is a "good heart."

Look at Psalm 45:1: "My heart overflows with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

Here, the psalmist confesses that “good words overflow from my heart.” If our hearts are good, we cannot help but speak good words. So, what does "a good heart" mean? When I think of the word "good," I recall the English word “noble” and the "wife of noble character" from Proverbs 31:10. The Bible says that this wise woman “speaks with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness” (Proverbs 31:26). That is, the wise woman speaks the law of kindness because she feels and experiences God's patience (God’s love) in her heart. In the same way, if we have tasted and seen God’s love and His goodness (Psalm 34:8), we cannot help but speak good words with our tongues.

As believers in Jesus, no matter how difficult or challenging life becomes, we should be able to confess in faith, “God is good.” If everything seems peaceful and only good things happen, and we sing songs like “God is good,” but when difficult and challenging times hit, our praise stops coming from our hearts and lips, then that is a sign that we have not truly felt or understood the goodness and mercy of God in our hearts. If, on the other hand, we can confidently declare, like the psalmist, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life…” (Psalm 23:6), then, transcending our circumstances, we will look to God in faith and, believing that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28), we will praise the good God. A good heart can only speak good words.

Secondly, the heart of the one who possesses a tongue like the pen of a ready writer is a "heart full of grace."

Look at Psalm 45:2: "You are more beautiful than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever." The lips of a king, who has been blessed by God, or the lips of God's people, should be full of grace. In other words, to bring glory to God with our lips, we should speak words that show grace to others. For this to happen, our hearts must be filled with God’s grace. If we live like the Apostle Paul, knowing that "by the grace of God, I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10), and if we are filled with this grace in our spiritual life, then we will naturally speak our words with grace, seasoning them with salt as in Colossians 4:6: "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt." Thus, with our lips, we will bring glory to God and show grace to others.

Jesus said, "It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person" (Matthew 15:11), and He also said, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart" (Matthew 15:18). If our hearts are not clean, then what comes out of our mouths will not be clean either. However, we have already been cleansed by the precious blood Jesus shed on the cross. We are children of God, saved by His grace. Therefore, as those who have received that grace, we must know it more deeply and widely, so that from a heart full of grace, gracious words may flow through our lips. Also, as those who have tasted God's goodness, we should speak good words from a heart filled with goodness. My prayer is that through our tongues, like the brush of a calligrapher, God's goodness and grace may be revealed.

Desiring, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to control my heart more than my tongue,

Pastor James
(Praying that, having understood God's goodness and grace in my heart, I may proclaim it with my lips)