Words have power

419 words have powerI can not remember the name of the movie. I can not remember the plot or the names of the actors. But I remember a certain scene. The hero had escaped a POW camp, and hot pursued by soldiers he fled to a nearby village.

When he was desperately looking for a place to hide, he finally threw himself into a crowded theater and found a place in it. But he soon found out that four or five prison guards broke into the theater and began locking the exits. His mind raced. What could he do? There was no other way out and he knew he would be easily recognized when the visitors left the theater. Suddenly an idea occurred to him. It jumped up in the semi-dark theater and shouted: “Fire! Fire! Fire! ”The crowd panicked and pushed for the exits. The hero seized the opportunity, mingled with the crowd, slipped past the guards and disappeared into the night. I remember this scene for an important reason: words have power. In this dramatic incident, one little word made many people fear and run for their lives!

The Book of Proverbs (18,21) teaches us that words have the power to bring life or death. Poorly chosen words can hurt, kill enthusiasm, and hold people back. Words well chosen can heal, encourage, and offer hope. During the darkest days of the 2. During the Second World War, the cleverly chosen and magnificently recited words of Winston Churchill gave courage to the people and restored the endurance of the beleaguered English people. It is said that he mobilized the English language and sent it to war. That is how strong the power of words is. You can change lives.

This should make us stop and think. If our human words have so much power, how much more the word of God? The letter to the Hebrews shows us that "the word of God is living and mighty" (Hebrews 4,12). It has a dynamic quality. It has energy. It makes things happen. It accomplishes things no one else can do. It doesn't just inform, it accomplishes things. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, He chose only one weapon to fight and ward off Satan: “It is written; it is written; it is written,” Jesus replied—and Satan fled! Satan is powerful, but the Scriptures are even more powerful.

The power to change us

But the word of God not only does things, it also transforms us. The Bible was written not for our information but for our transformation. News articles can keep us informed. Novels can inspire us. Poems can delight us. But only the potent Word of God can transform us. Once received, the word of God begins to work in us and becomes a living force in our lives. Our behavior begins to change and we bear fruit (2. Timothy 3,15-17; 1. Petrus 2,2). Such is the power of the Word of God.

Does that surprise us? Not when we're in 2. Timothy 3,16 read: "For all Scripture was inspired by God", ("God-breathed" which is the exact translation of the Greek). These words are not just human words. They are of divine origin. They are the words of the same God who created the universe and sustains all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 11,3; 1,3). But he doesn't leave us alone with his word while he goes out and does something else. His word is alive!

"Like an acorn bearing within it a thousand forests, so the Word of God lies in the pages of Scripture like a slumbering seed in a silo, just waiting for an industrious sower to sow the seed, and for a fertile heart to sprout to receive him" (The Preeminent Person of Christ: A Study of Hebrews by Charles Swindol, p. 73).

He still speaks through the spoken word

So do not make the mistake of just reading the Bible because they have to, or because it's the right thing to do. Do not read them in a mechanical way. Do not even read them because they believe that they are the word of God. Instead, see the Bible as the word of God through which he speaks to them today. In other words, he still speaks through what he said. How can we prepare our heart for it to be fruitful to receive its powerful word?

Through prayerful Bible study, of course. In Isaiah 55,11 It says: "...so shall the word that goes out of my mouth also be: It will not come back to me empty again, but will do what pleases me, and it will succeed in what I send it to." John Stott relates the story of an itinerant preacher who went through security at an airport. This was before electronic frisking and the security officer was rummaging in his pocket. He came across a black cardboard box containing the preacher's Bible and was curious to find out its contents. "What's in that box?" he asked suspiciously, and received the startling reply, "Dynamite!" (Between Two Worlds: John Stott)

What an apt description of God's Word - a power, an explosive power - that can "explode" old habits, blast wrong beliefs, ignite new devotion, and release enough energy to heal our lives. Isn't that a compelling reason to read the Bible to be changed?

by Gordon Green


pdfWords have power