Daily Devotional for Wednesday, October 8

The Power of the Tongue

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof,”  Proverbs 18:21.

Does anyone remember Mrs. O’Leary’s cow? The following may be only legend, but legend has it that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow knocked over a lantern that started the Great Chicago Fire of 1817. That fire killed several hundred people, burned a large expanse of the city, and left almost one hundred thousand people homeless. Legend says this great fire happened because of one knocked-over lantern in a barn. Again, that may or may not be accurate, but it is an excellent illustration of the power of our words.

Many people preach a theology called “word of faith” and would have us all believe that the right words, spoken with enough faith, will compel God to act in our desired way and give us our desired outcome. I hope we all know that this is false teaching. God may very well answer our prayers, but our prayers will never cause Him to do anything outside His sovereign plan. On the other hand, only a fool would deny that words and their use can have a considerable impact, seemingly far beyond the word’ size. Like that barn fire, the damage from words can spread far and wide.

In a nutshell, our words can build up those around us and bring life, or they can tear down those around us and bring death. Not only does what we say affect the ones to whom we speak, but it has lasting repercussions for the one who speaks them. Our words can create an immediate impact and damage, and they can make a legacy that lasts for generations. The problem with misplaced words is that you can never get them back; once they are said, they cannot be retrieved.

JUST A THOUGHT

Whoever said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” only said that because someone’s words had hurt them.

Wally Fry