“People might plan what they want to say, but it is the Lord who gives them the right words.” Proverbs 16:1
People were so surprised that my husband, Tim, got up to speak at his mother’s funeral.  Frankly, he was too.  He had not planned on it, but God did.
That day we were at the funeral home for the family viewing.  After our immediate family had gone in to have our time with Jany, Tim was out speaking with cousins, aunts, and uncles. It wasn’t long and he took me by the hand and whispered to me “I need to talk to you.”  He led me outside where we looked into each other’s eyes and held hands.  Tim took a deep breath and began to tell me what was on his mind.
Tim said that God had put on his heart, a couple of days prior, to say something at his momma’s funeral.  He kept pushing the thought aside, rehearsing what to say, pushing it aside, and practicing the words.
After reading what our children had written in their letters to grandmama and listening to the words of relatives, Tim felt God confirming the need to speak.
He said that this has to be a God-thing because he’s not big on speaking in front of large crowds and he didn’t want to get too emotional in front of everyone.  But the tug at his heart was outweighing his desire to just tell God “No thanks.”
I put my arms around Tim and began to pray for him.  I felt confidence in what God was doing, and Tim felt the urgency and assurance as well.
I called Pastor Tommy and told him what God had been doing in Tim’s life.  Tommy said “okay” and the plan was in place for when Tim was going to speak.  Tim said with a grin, “Well, there’s no backing down now.”
I asked Tim if he wanted to rehearse his words with me, but he shook his head and said, “I’ve been saying it about a hundred times for two days.”  He instructed me that all I needed to do was to stand by his side, hold his hand, and pray.  “Yes.  I will do that.”
Tim had somewhat planned what to say, but God totally gave him the words.
When the time came for Tim to speak, he held my hand tight (real tight), I prayed the whole time, God gave him the words, and his emotions were intact.
God not only gave Tim the words, but the strength he needed too.
God can do this for you as well.  There are situations daily when we plan on saying something to someone, or we may not even know what to say or how to say it, but if we pray and allow God to speak to us and through us, He will.  He’s so cool like that!
Blessings to y’all.

June 18 1 Kings 11:1-12:11 John 19:4-24 Psalm 73:13-20 Proverbs 16:1-2