Word Powerfeatured

Words have power. God’s words have unimaginable power. In Genesis 1 the phrase, “God said,” is used nine times. God spoke all of creation into existence.  Psalm 33:6 is a beautiful expression of this truth: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”

In Exodus 34:27, God instructed Moses to faithfully record his eternally powerful words: “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” Thus, God began the compilation of his divine words into what we know as the Bible – the Word of God. Psalm 119 is full of testimony to the power of God’s Word:

• “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89).
• “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).
• “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130).

The Gospel of John reveals more about the power of God’s word:

• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3).
• “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

All the power and majesty of God are now embodied in a person, Jesus – the Word. The words of the Word are life giving.  While on earth, Jesus’s words had life giving power. He healed the body and soul of the sick, he forgave sinners, and he raised the dead with his words. The power of the Word extends into eternity.

Our words also have power. Whether we think, speak, or tap them on a keyboard, our words can harm or heal. They can build up or tear down. They can encourage or discourage and, not surprisingly, God’s Word has no shortage of wisdom on this topic.

• “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18).
• “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).
• “The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction” (Proverbs 16:21).
• “Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips” (Ecclesiastes 10:12).

Jesus commanded us to love each other as he loves us (John 13:34) and warned “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34). All too often the words I type into a text or ones that pop out of my mouth don’t reveal a heart full of love.

The apostle Paul warns us about another problem with our words. We can say words that sound pretty, but don’t really come from a loving heart. In 1 Corinthians 13:1 he says: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” If the motives behind my words are full of self-interest, they are not going to accomplish anything for the kingdom of God.

I suspect I am not the only one who has problems with words. Jesus’s brother, James, predicts this in James 3:8-10, “ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” Yikes!

The good news is that we have a helper, the Holy Spirit, to empower us remove the poison from our hearts and tongues and replace it with life-giving words of encouragement and love. Paul gives us some good advice in Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

This painting is titled Words of Agape. Against a background of pages from God’s Word, I pasted the type of words that emerge from a heart full of love. Not all of them are easy to read because sometimes they are not easy to utter!  Overlaying those words are the words “agape love.” Agape is the Greek word for the purest kind of love – God’s love – unconditional love that endures despite circumstances. My prayer is that each day our words will cease to harm or discourage, but will instead be fuller and fuller of his life-giving agape!