Spoken into Existence

Science tells us that all of matter was created in an instant. An explosion of life where once, there was nothing. Coincidentally, (or not so much) the Bible also describes a vast nothingness, and then suddenly, a great explosion of light and life—spoken into existence, at the Word of the Creator.

Genesis goes on to tell us that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). What is God like? We can only begin to assign words to His being. He is much more than we could possibly fathom; but He has revealed aspects of Himself to us. He is a spirit, not bound by our physical world. He is pure love, in action (1 John 4:8). He embodies perfect community within Himself: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. He creates. All that He creates is good. And He invites us to join Him in the work of creating.

How are we distinguished from the rest of creation? We, like our Creator, are not merely physical entities. We are spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). We are most alive when we love freely and fully. We are meant to live in community with God, with one another, and with the earth which nourishes us. Deprived of this love and community, life becomes distorted and its potential beauty is reduced.

And we, like the Father, have the ability to create. For better or for worse, it is inherent within our natures, written into our human DNA. We cannot help but to express ourselves—even in the bleakest, blackest, and darkest of situations. Etched into the walls of Jewish concentration camps are words…words of poetry, words of despair, words of hope. We have an overwhelming desire to know, and to be known through art. With the power of our words, we create and build up. And by that same power, we possess the ability to destroy.

Scripture repeatedly warns us of the incredible power we can harness with our tongues:

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Proverbs 18:21

We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.
James 3:3-5

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29

Small, thoughtless words can have large, unforeseen consequences. We must choose our words wisely, and use them to encourage.

Have you ever been in the company of someone who makes you feel uncomfortable when you curse? It’s not that they judge you, or take personal offense at your words. They don’t have to condemn you. They don’t even have to say anything at all, because the way they carry themselves speaks volumes. Foul words just seem out of place in their presence. As if it doesn’t fit, as if it’s not supposed to be.

Now, imagine marrying that person—coming from a time in your life when your college roommates had decided to assign a New Year’s Resolution to everybody, and yours is to go a week without cursing. And it’s impossible because you’ve grown immune to the effect of your words! You’ve been conditioned to express yourself a certain way, and have become imprisoned by your own speech. Do you think that simply being in the presence of a person could change the quality of the words you speak? Change the way you think? Change the way you carry yourself? Without being directly confronted at all?

To understand how this is possible—how it happened in my life—we must embrace God’s own Word, and recognize the things He speaks about us.

Believing God

Not only do we have the responsibility to use our words wisely, we have the privilege of believing what God says about us. Paul tells us that God calls things that aren’t as though they are (Romans 4:17). He speaks reality into existence. Paul himself, before writing these words, was a fierce persecutor of the Church. He sought to kill all the Jews who followed after Jesus. But the Lord, the God of the universe, called Paul His “chosen instrument…to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Thus, while his heart was still turned against God, God spoke over Paul and changed his destiny. He became a messenger of the Gospel to the nations, writing much of the New Testament.

The Bible is full of people that undergo a drastic character transformation at the Word of God. In his book Heaven Invades Earth, Bill Johnson writes:

“We are often more convinced of our unworthiness than we are of His worth. Our inability takes on greater focus than does His ability. But the same One who called fearful Gideon a Valiant Warrior and unstable Peter a Rock has called us the Body of His beloved Son on earth. That has to count for something” (p. 34).

So what does God say about us?

He calls us sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18).
He tells us we’re His treasured possession on the earth (Deut 26:18).
Through Christ, He has given us a new identity (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Through Christ, we are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7).
He tells us that we are set apart and holy (1 Peter 2:9).
He tells us that we are free from sin (Romans 6:18).
He tells us that we have nothing to fear (Romans 8:15).
He tells us that we can walk in righteousness (Romans 8:4).

The same God who spoke the world into existence, is speaking over us today. Who are we to doubt what He says?

Speak Life through the Word

We are made in the image of God. He has endowed us with the ability to shape our surroundings, to create alongside Him. There is real power behind what we speak. It’s up to us how we use it. Will we nurture those around us, and encourage growth? Will we call forth gifts from people, even when those gifts aren’t yet visible? Will we speak to the world with words of judgement—or speak to it as God would, seeing its true value, knowing its true calling?

We, like God, have the ability to call things into existence. Whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18). We are entrusted with an incredible responsibility! How will we put it to use?

The Word of God creates. The Word of God calls forth from nothing. And the Word of God became flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus is the Living Word of God. And now, through His work on the cross, by faith, He dwells within every believer (2 Corinthians 13:5). The Word of God who was present in the beginning, is alive in us. If God’s Word can bring something from nothing, then what can the Word of God do through us?

Change our entire beings. Melt our hearts of stone. Transform our minds. Alter our destinies. Invite others to join.

So…how did it happen that being in the presence of my spouse impacted what came out of my mouth? It’s obvious, really. Through him, the innocence and purity of Jesus shone through. In the presence of Jesus, certain words are out of place. There’s nothing magical about my husband, in and of himself (sorry Mikey). But there is something significant and life-changing about Jesus through him! Jesus was the Word made flesh. We are flesh being made the Word (quoted from Dr. Connie Williams). Encountering the Word always demands an adjustment within ourselves.

Be encouraged and lifted up. The power of the Word can change your own words. And your words can create beautiful things in the lives of others.