“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” —Ephesians 4:29 NIV

Winston Churchill understood the power of words. In the film Darkest Hour, it was said “he mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.”

Words have the power of death and life (Proverbs 18:21). When I was a child, my biological father used a multiplicity of denigrating words to bring death—sabotaging my sense of worth and vandalizing my self-esteem. Then when I was sixteen years old, God redemptively and providentially gave me a mentor who became a quintessential spiritual father. This man spoke words of life and healing into my soul, believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. It changed the trajectory of my life.

Child psychologists have asserted that for kids to become resilient, they need six to seven positive words for every negative one spoken over them. One of the tools we’ve used in serving at-risk young people in juvenile centers and our summer camps is what we call The Edification Chair. When a child sits in the edification chair, everyone else in the room takes turns saying something positive about that person. It’s amazing how quickly this exercise can change the demeanor of a child when he or she hears words of encouragement and affirmation. It also reminds me how much kids in this generation are starved for edification.

I don’t know what kind of upbringing the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah had (other than he apparently was raised in a priestly home), but he seemed to need a great measure of edification throughout his lifetime. In the first chapter of Jeremiah, God tells this young prophet that the divine purposes and plans for his life started well before birth: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Isn’t it awesome to know that we existed in God’s mind long before we ever existed in our mother’s womb?!

This revelation wasn’t given merely to pump Jeremiah up in his own self-esteem, but to align him with God’s pre-ordained plan. Jeremiah’s response was rooted in inadequacy: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to him, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched Jeremiah’s mouth—the instrument God would use more than any other tool in his lifetime. (Jeremiah 1:6-9)

We can infer that Jeremiah felt insecure. He had reasons to be afraid. He was young, people in his generation were calloused to the word of God, and his ministry assignments would often feel more like trench warfare than Sunday potlucks after church. As G. Campbell Morgan said, “He shrank from his work again and again; he suffered intensely, not merely from the persecution of his foes, but in his own soul, in it fellowship with God and with his nation; he needed very special Divine sustenance.”

Yet God spoke words of encouragement and affirmation saying, “I have made you this day a fortified city” and reminded him that he would never go alone (Jeremiah 1:17-19). God gave Jeremiah the strength he needed—but he had to walk in it. He had to “dress himself” for the work ahead. If he did not—if he allowed himself to “be dismayed before their faces”—then God would dismay Jeremiah before those whom he feared. He may not have felt like a “fortified city” or an “iron pillar,” but God’s words “I am with you” conquered his inner struggles.

I love how Derek Kidner summarizes Jeremiah’s life and ministry: “To this thin-skinned young man, his description of terms of battlements and heavy metal might have seemed a wild exaggeration, but in fact it proved an understatement. He would hold out against all comers for over forty years, outdoing any fortress under siege.”

God’s word can instill a superhero-like faith in the most inexperienced soldiers or even those battle-fatigued warriors. It’s what made the psalmist say: “For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:29). God’s words are true. They bring life. Healing. Realignment. They instill a confidence of purpose, direction, and vision. Concerning the power of words, Paul told the believers in Ephesus: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

It’s important that we are not only built up in the word of God, but that we are actively building others up as well—speaking edification into their lives. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week!

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for the true reality of my existence. I am not here by accident. You were thinking about me before the foundations of this world ever existed. You had me in mind before I was in my mother’s womb. How awesome are your thoughts! Daily realign me with your will, and in times of insecurity may I lean into your grace for strength and affirmation. May you always use my mouth as an instrument to build others up according to their needs. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for Reflection and/or Family Discussion:

1. When have you been assigned to a task for which you felt totally unqualified?
2. Where have you seen the power of words at work in both positive and negative ways?
3. By what action did God transform Jeremiah into His mouthpiece? (v.9)
4. When we share the gospel with others, whose words do we speak?
5. Where can you speak words of life to those around you this week?

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