Words

John 1:1-3   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.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.~Genesis 1:1-3, 2:7

     I want you to notice two things in the scriptures above.  The first is that God spoke everything in existence.  The second, that God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him.

     Before there was an Earth as we know it, there were words.  God spoke before we even drew a breath.  “And God said, “Let there be light.”  The third verse in the whole Bible.  God spoke and the world began.   When God spoke the moon was flung into space, the oceans were formed, fish swam in the sea, and elephants dipped their long trunks into the cool fresh water for a drink.  God spoke and the stars twinkled in the night sky, flowers burst into bloom, and Adam and Eve talked with God in the garden.

     God could have created any way He wanted.  He is God.  He could have thought things into place, or snapped His fingers.  He could have done a Genie blink and the first trees could have appeared.  He could have waved a baton like a cosmic conductor.  But instead, He did none of those things.   He chose to use words to create.

     There is power in God’s word.  Whenever God speaks in the Bible, things change.  Circumstances and lives, water to wine, the sick are healed, hearts are mended, and people are fed. 

     Adam was formed with God’s hand from the dust of the earth.  Eve fashioned by God from Adam’s rib.  God breathed life into them.  Being so close to someone that you can breathe their breath is intimate.  Sharing breath speaks of a closeness of body and spirit.  It’s as close as a kiss. 

     When God created us in His image, God also gave us the power of words.  

Proverbs 18:21  The tongue has the power of life and death.

     We can all think of times when someone has spoken to us and built us up, or sadly, torn us down.  Words can break our hearts.  As wives and husbands, parents, students and teachers, brother’s and sisters we have the power to speak into each other’s lives.  The mouth speaks from the overflow of our hearts.  Let us use our power for good and not evil as we go about our days.  Choose to speak life, to never let a compliment go unsaid, to build and not tear down.  Choose to not ever be the bully on the playground.  

     Speak every word in love.

     The ideas in this post are based on a wonderful book called, Speak Love:  Making Our Words Matter, by Annie Downs.  It is available at Amazon.