Effective Encouragement: Content and Timing (Proverbs 15:23)
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Proverbs 15:23
To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!
O my how I love this verse!
Proverbs 15:23 shows us the value of a good word isn’t just what we say, but when we say it.
Think about it with me: have you ever said the right thing, but at the wrong time? Or maybe you shared truth, but in the wrong way? If you’re like me, you probably have a few stories where you didn’t exactly bring about the joy we see in this verse. Instead of lifting someone up, those words may have fallen flat—or even worse, they may have caused harm. Many good words have been lost solely because they were given out of season.
I’ve been there. And so have Job’s friends. Though their motives are not clear in Scripture, we know they were called ‘friends’, leading us to assume they were really trying to encourage and help Job as he endured his unimaginable suffering. But as Job 32:5 tells us, “they did not find an answer for him in their mouths.”
Job’s friends had the opportunity to speak a word in season and to give an apt answer, to live out Proverbs 15:23, but they lacked the wisdom and discernment to speak what Job truly needed, and their words ended up completely missing the mark.
Here’s the truth y’all: not only does the content of our language matter, but the timing matters just as much. And this is the wisdom that Proverbs calls us to pursue again and again - the wisdom of discernment.
Ecclesiastes 8:5 captures it perfectly: “A wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment.”
In other words (and I know I may be repeating myself here but it’s important): the wise man or woman discerns what to say (judgment) and when to say it (timing).
Discernment is knowing when to drop truth like a mic—and when to hand it over gently like a newborn baby.
And this wisdom doesn’t come naturally; it comes from a heart that seeks and abides in the Lord.
The wise in heart don’t make haste in their response (Proverbs 29:20) - they pause, pray, and speak words that bring life and joy. In these people the ‘word of Christ dwells…richly’ (Colossians 3:16), and they are ready to give the fitting word on just the right occasion.
Isaiah is a living example of this description. He says in Isaiah 50:4:
“The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.”
What a beautiful gift that is - a tongue trained by the Lord Himself, able to discern the right word at the right time for someone in need. Just imagine: a word that turns weariness into hope, sorrow into joy, confusion into clarity. I want that! That to me is the equivalent of having the Midas touch except every word you speak turns to gold for someone’s soul! Who wouldn’t want that?
So as you think about and reflect on this verse today, ask yourself:
Are there moments where you’ve rushed to speak without first seeking the Lord’s wisdom? How did that turn out?
Are there opportunities in your life right now where you need discernment—not just in what to say, but when to say it?
Who in your life is weary and could use a word in season? What would it look like to speak encouragement, truth, or love into their situation?
As you think about these questions, let’s ask God for wisdom. Let’s pray for a heart that pauses to seek His guidance before speaking, a mind that is able to store up his word so that when we speak we may be able to speak words of life to those who need it.
Finally, let’s pray for opportunities to live out this verse - to give apt answers and words in season. Why not! May God put someone in your path today that could use some encouragement, and may He use you to bring that timely word!
Let’s pray.
