¹⁹So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ~ James 1:19-20, NKJV.

I’ve always had the feeling that God gave us two ears and one mouth because He wants us to spend twice as much time listening as we do talking, and I think that especially holds true when we’re in difficult situations where there’s anger involved. I know it feels like it would be especially hard when you’re feeling angry, and the more enraged you get the harder it would be to keep your mouth shut. But the Bible does say,

Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. ~ Ephesians 4:26-27, NKJV.

Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah ~ Psalm 4:4, NKJV.

And the Amplified Bible makes it a little more clear, at least to me,

Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion]. Selah. ~ Psalm 4:4, AMP.

He who is quickly angry will do what is foolish, but the man of good sense will have quiet. ~ Proverbs 14:17, The Bible in Basic English.

So it is possible to listen more than you talk, even when you’re angry. You just have to ask for God’s help, something I have to do frequently, because otherwise I would fly off the handle every time I turn around!

³We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. ⁴And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. ⁵In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. ⁶And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. ⁷People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ⁸but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. ~ James 3:3-8, NLT.

I’ll end with the passage from James that I started with, which I love, by the way. Both passages are so instructive on how to control your tongue. They certainly show me the way, to be sure, and I’m very grateful to have them to guide me.

¹⁹So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ~ James 1:19-20, NKJV.