Open Thy Mouth, and It Shall Be Filled

Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Psalm 81:10

When God called Enoch to preach the gospel, Enoch protested that he wasn’t qualified. The people didn’t like him, and he was “slow of speech,” he said. God responded with a simple admonition and a promise:

Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance.

Moses 6:32

Slowness of speech can result from self-consciousness and over-analysis, a desire to reduce risk by carefully scrutinizing your words before speaking. That may not always be an effective communication strategy, though. The self-consciousness may prevent the speaker from observing and connecting with his or her listeners.

About the time Joseph Smith translated this passage, he received revelations for a number of his associates which included this same counsel: Peter and John Whitmer (Doctrine and Covenants 30:5, 11), Ezra Thayre and Northrop Sweet (Doctrine and Covenants 33:8-10), and Sidney Rigdon (Doctrine and Covenants 71:1). One of those revelations—to Peter Whitmer, Jr.— included the promise that he would “become even as Nephi of old.” Nephi’s father Lehi testified that it was not Nephi himself, but the Spirit of the Lord “which opened his mouth to utterance that he could not shut it” (2 Nephi 1:27).

A friend of mine at work plays in a praise band on Sundays. He usually has a headphone in his ear with an automated voice keeping him on track (“second verse in 4 bars,” etc.). On a recent Sunday, the system was broken, so he took the headphone out of his ear and just played. The minister told him that he didn’t know what had changed, but the music was particularly inspiring that day. My friend realized that focusing more on the message and less on the mechanics had made a difference.

Every morning, when I sit down to write these blog posts, I usually don’t know what I’m going to write. I do a little reading and develop the seed of an idea. I find it useful to start writing fairly soon, often before I’m entirely sure what my message will be. As I write, inspiration flows, and I discover what I need to say. I learn by teaching.

Marion G. Romney said, “I always know when I am speaking under the influence of the Holy Ghost because I always learn something from what I have said” (quoted in Boyd K. Packer, “Teach the Children,” Brigham Young University Education Week devotional, 17 August 1999). I’ve had that experience as well.

Today, I will open my mouth and trust the Lord to guide my words.