August 21 - Speech Therapy!

The best way to improve speech is to improve the heart, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34).  A heart filled with the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word of God will produce godly speech that brings life to the speaker as well as the listener.  This is where our point of prayer should begin.  (Power of a Praying Parent, Stormie Omartian)

As I sat in the waiting room of the speech clinic; I couldn't help but think of how far my little boy has come.  When he was initially diagnosed with autism, we were told that he "may never talk".  Although with much prayer and early intervention services, we have overcome that prognosis; we still have a long way to go!  A child with autism must do more than learn how to speak. The child also has to learn how to use language to communicate. This includes knowing how to hold a conversation. It also includes tuning into both verbal and nonverbal cues from other people -- such as facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language.  In other words, it's not enough for my son or other children with autism to learn the words; they also have to know what to say and when to say it...kinda like prayer!

Just as there are different ways to communicate (verbal, nonverbal, facial expression), there are different ways to pray (verbally, groaning, intercession, as the Holy Spirit gives utterance).  What I like about the scripture in Matthew 12:34 is that it says the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.  This confirms the importance of a pure heart when speaking to others, especially when we're praying for someone.  Questions to ask yourself; (1) Who are you talking to?  (2) What are you talking about?

Heavenly Father, help us to keep our hearts pure so that our speech will be godly and bring life to our listeners.  Help our children to realize that once the words come out of their mouths, they can't be taken back.  Help us to guard our mouths so that no cursing, gossip, envy corrupt communication proceeds out of it and we can be an example to our children.  We want to be like You Lord, we want to speak life and life more abundantly.  In Jesus name, it is so!