Word Power

As I was driving about today, I pondered a great many things. Upon driving past an accident, I prayed in my head for the people involved, not interrupting whatever was going on in the car by speaking out loud. The prayer finished, my mind continued to ponder. Half of me was ashamed that I had not spoken the prayer out loud, while the other half wondered if unverbalized prayers have the same efficacy as prayers which are spoken aloud.

One of the most striking thoughts occurred (and thus the inspiration for this post) at that moment. If humans didn’t have the power of speech, they must be telepathic. That would be interesting because then all prayers would have to be uttered in the head; there would be no speech, thus no way to vocalize any prayers, let alone daily communication with other humans.

I continued thinking how interesting it would be if humans couldn’t speak, intertwined with the slight wonderings if mental prayers were as effective as prayers spoken. It was then I realized the power of a spoken prayer.

Throughout history, from the beginning of time, God has placed a strong emphasis on the spoken word. He could have thought the world into existence. He could have gestured everything into being. He could have physically manipulated the nothingness to create our existence.

But He didn’t…

God chose to use the spoken word to create, to communicate, to command. He spoke light into being and spoke every detail of creation to life. Throughout the Bible, the importance of the spoken word has been emphasized over and over. After the Flood, God scattered all of humanity how? By changing the one common language to many different language. This brought confusion and caused the splitting of humans, categorized by language.

Men lived, died and performed wonderful and atrocious deeds because of the word they had verbally vowed. Instructions commanded to watch what was said and to guard against foolish speaking. The Proverbs speak of the power of the tongue, how life and death are influenced by what is said, and how utterances are an indication of the real person. When Jesus came, He was the Word and that word was “salvation,” Yeshua. Demons were cast out by the mere mention of Jesus’ name. The sick were made whole and the dead were raised, not by the thought of Jesus, but by his words.

Words are important and have more effect on us and our surroundings than we may realize. I believe that there is a power in the spoken word that we do not know anything about. Why? Because it is the method chosen by God to create and to communicate with us, His ultimate creation. And this is why I came to the conclusion that the spoken prayer is more effective than a mentally uttered one, though I do believe God hears all prayers, no matter how they are communicated to Him.

What better way to communicate with you Creator than by using the very tool He himself used to bring all things into being?

I challenge you to think about what you say. Take one day and listen to the things you and others around you say. What if everything said in a joking manner came true? What if every utterance you made actually happened? Simple, trite phrases like, “My leg/ankle/knee/head is killing me,” “I wish I/you were dead,” “I’m going to kill you/him,” “You’re killing me,” “I wish I/you had never been born,” and on and on.

These innocuous phrases are not so innocent. If the Bible is true and life and death are really in the power of the tongue, why would anyone ever speak these things into their own lives or the lives of others?

Ponder this last argument.

Since “life and death are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit of it” and if “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” and “from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks,” could this be the reason we are to think on “whatsoever things are true… honest… just… pure… lovely… of good report… any virtue… any praise.”?

I think so.

Our words are powerful and move in ways we do not understand. Be careful and chose your words wisely.

The Depths of A Soul Cry Out

Every so often, I am struck by the power captured within some of the Psalms. With exquisite beauty and coherence, they are able to project and articulate the most intimate, most personal moments of agony and praise. The Psalms that are praising are exuberant and uplifting, using words to adequately describe the level of euphoria and joy the writer is going through. Each word is picked purposefully and the end result is a breakthrough in the communication barrier which can at times hinder an effectual connection with God. The Psalms of pain and anguish are complete in the aching they impart. Psalms didn’t always mean this much to me, but as I enter areas in my life where I need the words to express to God what I’m going through, I find the Psalms already have them.

I am not the most articulate person at all times. Usually, my vocabulary and imagination fall short when I attempt to express overwhelming levels of gratitude and thanks to God or when I am crying out from the depths of my soul, falling to pieces and needing to articulate to God the utter pain and yearning my heart feels. I know God already knows my heart and can understand the intimate details of what I am going through, but there is a beauty in being able to communicate that level of intimate joy or anguish in words.

Words are important to God. Out of all the many ways He could have brought the universe and everything in it into existence, He chose the spoken word. From nothing, He spoke everything. He is the word and that word is Jesus. Life and death are controlled by what we say. Words can more easily damage or mend another soul than physical or material damage or help. God is all about communication, so I imagine it pleases Him when we can praise Him with our voices, with our spoken thoughts, with our innermost needs, desires, and joys made vocal.

Recently I have had moments where I was so grateful to God for things He had done for me that I literally had NO words to express my level of gratitude. It was a hope deferred which had been fulfilled and had now become a tree of life, my heart and soul attempted to leave my mouth, only to be bound by a mortal tongue and limited imagination. My only recourse was to visualize my soul spiraling upwards to heaven in jubilation and entwining with God’s spirit, becoming one and surpassing the need for any words. It is a beautiful thing, yes… but how much more powerful if I had the words to express that level of exploding joy and gratefulness?

Recently I have had moments where the inner pain and longing for fulfillment of God’s promises to me overwhelmed me. I longed to cry out to God in my need and to articulate to Him the depths and extent of that yawning ache needing to be filled, knowing it can only be filled by Him at this time. Yet so often, my tongue cannot frame nor my mind form the correct arrangement of words to adequately describe to Him what exactly is occurring within me. Many times the only way I can express is to open my soul to Him and cry out… no words, just a desperate searching for His comfort and filling of that gaping hole. How much more powerful and effective if I could frame the words to enlist His aid…

Today, I read yet another Psalm and was struck by the efficacy of the prayer and pleading recorded there. David, in the utmost agony of his soul, had beautiful and inspired words to bring his case before his Lord. I believe that not only was David a master of poetic expression, but also that his inspiration and creativity was inspired by God so this form of explicit articulation could be recorded for us to use so many years later.

Today’s Psalm – 77 – amazed me with the power and applicability it held in it for me…

I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.
Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?
Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?
Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

Feeling at one with the Psalm, I realized the next passages confirmed that my choices in dealing with my state of being were correct. My path was true and now I had beautiful words to offer up to God.

And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.
I will meditate also of all they work, and talk of thy doings
Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

Edifying Adaptation

One of the greatest strengths of humanity is our ability of adaptation. It has been the subject of countless novels and is implicit in our sin package. It is a double-edged sword. For the same adaptation that allows us to send men to outer space, send women to the deepest reaches of the ocean, and craft any number of variations on a single theme is also one of the easiest ways in which we can simply (and through subtlety) ignore or disregard God.

It comes down to something God has mentioned several times in the Bible, at the very least in Revelation and in Deuteronomy: DO NOT CHANGE MY WORD.

I mention this because one of the most destructive tendencies is for us to take a piece of information we get, put our own spin on it, assume the resulting spin is what the original message meant, and then act on our understanding of that spin. Think telephone game, played over all of creation, with everyone you've ever met.

It is easier to do with God's word than with nearly anything else. Simply put: God made it to be confusing to anyone who wasn't supposed to be reading it. That is why Jesus spoke in parables. He didn't want people getting the right information and abusing it, but instead to learn to trust God with the Holy Spirit, and then start to read the word. See - the Holy Spirit is where the lack of confusion, the unity, the singularity of purpose comes from. Because it's God. Without God, you will inevitably interpret scripture based on your own understanding, and likely without sufficient experience, perspective, or counsel. Which is tempting to do because it is so easy, and works for so many other things.

But it doesn't work that way with God's word.

One of the primary causes of this lack of connectivity with the true meaning of scripture is that people don't set aside enough time for daily prayer. There are some, to be sure, but the gross majority of people don't set aside time during their schedule to honor God with a little reverie, a little discourse, a little connection - and they are NOT blessed by it. Much like the old poem, where the speaker didn't have time to pray, their day was only hustle and bustle, and the result was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Such is how most of our lives are: we are the embodiment of our own decisions. And if we decide that we don't have enough time for prayer, then we're right.

I was told by a wise friend of mine that they thought, a whole lot of the time, that God was actively listening to our words and thoughts, and saying "... amen" the entire time.

Imagine this, if you will:

... You say "Man, I feel sick". God says "... amen". You feel even worse.

... You say "Man, I hate that guy". God says "... amen". You begin to seethe.

... You say "Man, I am cold". God says "... amen". You feel even colder.

I'm not saying those states aren't real. But I'm saying they're temporary, and describing them will often add far more permanence than their states deserve.

My call to action for you this morning is simple:

• Listen to everyone's words around you today. Find a way to record what you observe, whether as a mental note taker or a physical one, and write down every time you hear someone claim something other than a blessing from God or a description of a goal. Everything else will likely be a description of a temporary state. Examples include the above, as well as 'I feel lousy', 'My back hurts', 'I wish I weren't so lonely', and 'I feel depressed'. There are many, and language is notorious for having some phrases do double duty, so keep alert. Keep your journal for about two weeks, and pay attention to see how the lives of those who spoke those words have changed. Often you'll see them embody those very phrases and not even realize it. If you feel so led, share your list with them, and maybe the awareness of their actions might change their life and even bring them closer to God!


• Listen to your own words today. Write down every time you start a sentence with "I feel", or "I am" or "I wish I", and listen to what words you describe yourself, your day, and your perspective. Do this for two weeks. In those two weeks, you will likely pay more attention to your own speech patterns than you have ever before. Have you changed your speech patterns a great deal? Have you noticed yourself happier, healthier, or heartier?


• Choose a state you wish to experience. Pick something positive and constructive. Find about twenty or thirty different ways to express it, using short, three to five word phrases. Then, for the next two weeks, drop one or two of those means of expressing it in your own conversation, either with yourself or with those around you. Do it consistently, daily, and pay attention to your own state. How close to the desired state have you observed yourself?


• Choose an aspect of God's will that has always confused you, whether it’s a specific passage in the Bible, or an aspect of His character that has never been revealed to you or just your relationship with Him. Pick something specific. Then describe it, in as great a detail as possible, in a few sentences, a paragraph at most. Be as specific and focused as you can. Once you've got your sentences, you should put them somewhere that you'll read, whether it’s on a computer, on a mirror, or in your car, put it somewhere that you can comfortably review the material. Then, daily, for two weeks, read that phrase at least three times a day - before you do anything else, in the middle of your day, and at the end of the day. At the end of the first week, you should notice yourself a little closer to God. At the end of the second week, you should feel blessed to know that God loves you AND that you have some say in how close your relationship with him is.

May God bless you.