Words

The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. Isaiah 50:4

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said……. (Genesis 1:2-3) The unwavering power of words was displayed from the very beginning of time. The gift of life, of creation, the stars, moon, sun, nature, animals, humans…all of it came from the power of a spoken word out of the mouth of God. We too were given the privilege of words, although our words cannot hold the same power, they do hold power amongst people. A power to build up and tear down. A power to transform a broken heart and heal a wounded spirit. A power to hurt deeply and a power to create lasting offences.  Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” We have all experienced the sweet fruit of words and tasted the bitterness of them, and our lives reflect the very words that have been spoken by our mouths and have been received into our hearts from other mouths. 

As we near Christmas, I know it’s not the traditional Christmas devotional that we may be reading this time of year, but I felt the Lord press into my heart the importance of words. I felt as if God was naming the words that have been piercing hearts and breaking relationships. The destroyers were tongues of bitterness, tongues of anger, tongues of jealousy, tongues of manipulation, tongues of pride, tongues of brokenness and resentment, tongues of offense, and tongues of pharisees. From these tongues are words that are harming already weary souls. These are the tongues that are slashing down and not building up. These are the tongues that bare witness to broken things, and where the light must get in, only more shadows find its way into the already deepened cracks in our hearts. My nephew, who works in the police department, was making his way from house to house breaking up disputes on Thanksgiving Day this past year. Words. What are we doing with our words and how are we taming our tongues?

Over our words, there is ONE word that surpasses them all, the Bible. “For the word of God, is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword.” (Hebrews 4:12). The Book of hope, of wisdom and understanding, all pointing to Salvation. Throughout scripture, we read about our words in correlation with wisdom. I must remember that as hundreds of words are said by my mouth every day, if I am not letting the ONE-word soak in my heart and in my mind, my tongue will replicate that. Words reflect a healthy soul, and a healthy soul is full of God’s word-the One that gets the last word above everything else. “Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). But if we don’t know what is in the Good Book, how will it correct our tongues? How will we find life-giving, wise words to say to our brothers and sisters, strangers, spouses, children, parents? Knowing God’s word and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, will bring change to the words coming out of our mouths.  

When our soul is healthy our words are healthy, when our words are healthy, the people around us flourish. Oh mercy, there are many words that I have released that I wish I could just shove back in my mouth, and could have tamed my tongue in those moments. But the reality is, although my words have brought hurt before, God is always in the business of renewing, strengthening, and edifying my words. He can speak to me through His Word, and in return those are what fills my mouth. If your words have hurt, it’s never too late to say, “I’m sorry.” If words have hurt you, it’s never too late to let them go and let the ultimate Judge, God Almighty be the assessor of those. My Pastor’s Wife in Idaho told me, if a word comes at you that isn’t truth, simply say, “I don’t receive that.” And some of us simply need to declare that as they come…because they will come.   

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Sunday, may we be reminded the power that lies in our tongues. The WORD that was spoken hundreds of years before the hope of the world was born, was the hope that people held onto as they waited. When Jesus arrived, the WORD from the angels spread to the shepherds, the wisemen, the people that had been waiting for the expectant promise, JESUS. Let our words this Christmas inspire others to find the only hope that this world has to offer, Jesus our SAVIOR. Let our words be filled with hope, with the GOOD NEWS, for unto us a child is born… Words, may they inspire you, may they hold you close, and may they continue to spread the good news of Jesus to our hurting world. 

Additional Scriptures on our words.

• Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35
• May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock, and my Redeemer. Psalms 19:14
• Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24
• The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18
• Th tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21
• But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. Matthew 12:36
• Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”