I recently helped lead a confirmation class with my wife.  When I lead youth in these kinds of faith-encouraging activities, I often find myself learning more than the folks in the class about various aspects of my faith.  It was so with this experience.  We were discussing the Trinity by examining the passages when each Person was essentially introduced into the story that Scripture unfolds.  Genesis 1 tells of our Heavenly Father’s engagement with the story of Creation.  John 1:1-18 reveals Jesus’ very early involvement in Creation and then his entry into it.  Finally, walking through the early account of the Church, we see the Holy Spirit coming to abide in Christians in Acts 1:4-5 and Acts 2:1-21.

As we discussed it, I realized that in each case, one of the most prominent aspects of what happens has to do with words.  In the Genesis beginning, God speaks, and each time he does, something delightful happens!  He speaks so much into existence that it’s breathtaking.  Light, dark, celestial bodies, minerals, animals, plants, and humans all take form as the words of the Father’s commands are spoken.  In John’s beginning, Jesus is the Word – presumably God’s means of creation – that is in those same early Genesis moments.  John introduces the battle between dark and light and the ultimate victor in Jesus, the Light.  When the Holy Spirit takes residence in Creation (as opposed to visiting occasionally) in Acts 2, the immediate response is that wonderful words are spoken in many languages!  Many people come to faith in one amazing event!

Each instance contains words that alter reality immediately and forever.  It really matters what is said and by whom.  The words mean something and their meaning causes great change.  I am humbled that we have the same power at our disposal.  We have been given words and the means to speak them, and it is a great privilege.

But I don’t need to tell you that nowadays, words are cheap.  Billions upon billions are “spoken” in some sense each second of every day.  Phone conversations, personal interaction, texts, e-mail, social media pages and messages, mass media, books, magazines, audio books, broadcasts, streams, podcasts, etc. etc. etc. pour forth a deluge of words constantly!  Many, many of them are repeated words already spoken but echoed for all kinds of reasons.  The mental and psychological noise is deafening!

I also recognize that the meanings of words are being warped constantly as the deluge continues.  Intentional misuse, mistakes, marketer re-branding, slang, idiomatic use, and many other means blur the sense of words constantly, breaking down their power and destroying their usefulness in communication.

I shudder when I consider what Jesus says in Matthew’s account (read it here).  Each and every word matters, and the Lord is keeping track.  If mere phrases can change reality immediately, what happens when such a barrage as we have today occurs?

So, I’m taking my words a little more seriously.  I’m looking into becoming a verbal jeweler (See Proverbs 25:11. I especially like the New American Standard translation.)   And I’m thanking the Lord for his mercy and grace that I can be forgiven for the “empty words” I speak all too often.  I really like some of the words that were spoken when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles.  Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  (Acts 2:38)

Those are some words I can depend on.