Words

July 17, 2020

Words are powerful things. A generation ago, Adolf Hitler mesmerized thousands with his racist, violent oratory. Across the Channel, Winston Churchill almost singlehandedly kept Britain in the fight with stirring speeches promising nothing but “blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” Ninety miles from Key West, Fidel Castro held crowds spellbound for hours at a time with his well-chosen words, and the nation he conquered is today in shambles as a result.

People are encouraged or browbeaten by words. Words can cause the soul to sing...or sink. They are so important that the Gospel of John begins with, “In the beginning was the Word,” the revelation of God’s very being, made flesh for our sake.

Psalm 17:3 is a promise: “I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.” Such determination is required because we so easily slip and sink into language that negates, demeans, or discourages others. The apostle James reminds us that “the tongue is a fire...no man can tame it” (James 3:6 & 8). We seem to be powerless to control our mouths; only God can do it. Our words can be so insidious that James warns us about wanting to instruct others. Instruction is a great responsibility, and there are many who do not deserve and shouldn’t be in that role. 

So many voices on social media, all claiming to be true, most (even the “experts”) not knowing nearly as much as they claim. Someone once said the real problem is that we know so much that isn’t true. It is tempting to add our voices to the cacophanous chorus, but most of us don’t know as much as we think we do about all that’s going on in the world. Jesus said we would be judged by every idle word we utter (Matthew 12:36), and St. Paul reminded us that we should only speak that which builds people up. Ill-spoken, ill-timed, and ill-informed words can be catastrophic. Researchers in England predicted millions of deaths from COVID-19. Politicians believed them, and the entire country shut down. Turns out that these so-called experts had a history of wildly inflating their projections of catastrophe. Their words were powerful...and destructive.

Sometimes silence is the best word spoken, as Jesus proved standing before Pilate. We don’t have to comment on everything going on around us or within us. I need to bless and encourage people; God forgive me for failing to do so. Lord, guard my lips that I may speak only that blessing you place within my heart, and not the cursing that comes from my own sinfulness.