Language matters. Words matter. They can convey both the simplest and most complex of notions. Through words we can have understanding or misunderstanding of others. They can be wielded as a tool or a torture. The concept of words has been on my mind a lot lately. I awoke the day of the time change listening to the radio and a program that was on that reinforced the way words can shape outcomes. Just the night before, a treasured friend and I had been talking about the importance of words in what we speak over and into ourselves, others, and even situations. Negative words spoken can lead to word curses, or negative self-fulfilling prophecies. Even James warns us of the duplicitous nature of our tongues.
So why has this been on my mind? In December I began having strange health issues for which a cause has yet to be determined. I’ve seen numerous medical professionals, received much prayer and even healing, but it has not been an easy road. Some of the symptoms mimicked some heavy-duty ailments and I found myself growing in the fear of “what if,” which only compounded my issues. A friend had suggested declaring healing scriptures over myself but for some reason that hadn’t resonated with me at the time, though I did find solace in The Word, and particularly the Psalms. Then, in late January I was having a down day, likely feeling miserable and sorry for myself in a Psalm 43 “why so downcast oh my soul” kind of way.
Suddenly the Holy Spirit stirred something within me that had had enough. I opened my mouth to rant and rave and out came what I think was a prophetic statement which He told me to declare over myself repeatedly. That moment felt like a turning point. I felt inspired to turn the statement into a melody and sing it over myself regularly. Doing so has pushed away any fear of my current or future circumstances.
I have long known of the power of the spoken word, but something had shifted with that declaration—it was just what my ears needed to hear coming from my own mouth to cause my faith and hope to rise. It awakened something within me. Since that time frame I have been more conscious of how I speak about my symptoms and am becoming more aware of how I speak about and to myself and others. My tongue still has the power to both bless and curse, but I want my words to be life-giving and for His abundant life to triumph through what I speak.
In closing, let me speak this blessing from Ephesians 3 over all of us:
I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen!