Not always, not usually, not even sometimes, but rarely do I hear God speaking very clearly to me, really trying to get me to understand something.
At first it was just a thought, a suggestion. Something vague that my teammates encouraged me in. By the time month 9 rolled around, it was loud and clear, coming from complete strangers and anonymous listening prayers from people on the squad.
Let me explain. I’ve never been one to fight for my voice to be heard. I’ve lived under the impression that other people know a lot more than I do, so they should just speak, and I can learn from them. And if I did have something to say, it had to come out perfectly. By the time I had the words strategically formulated in my head, the time to recite them had passed. It was okay though- they weren’t really missing out on anything, so I thought.
Months 1-3, my team constantly encouraged me to speak up, they want to hear what I am thinking, don’t be afraid to “ruffle some feathers.”
Months 4-7, my new team encouraged me in the same things- reminding me that words have the power to bring life. Not just the words audibly spoken, but also the words spoken to myself in my mind.
Month 8- one of the squad leaders encouraged me to speak out more on what God has been teaching me, that people can learn from that. Two of the employees we rarely saw at our ministry that month spoke the same things over me- my words hold meaning and power. Not just my written words, but my spoken words to bring life and declare truth.
Month 9- During a night of listening prayer with the squad, we prayed for each other not knowing who we were praying for- just asking God for words to pray over the person in front of us. The girl who prayed for me encouraged me to trust what God has been teaching me, and to speak those out because my words have power.
“Okay God. I get it.”
I share these things not to make me seem special in some way. I think looking at this progression instead reflects my stubborn tendencies. But this isn’t even about me. I want instead to show how God relentlessly pursues us. He didn’t want me to miss this one. He has spent 9+ months with different people in creative ways trying to get me to see one main point: words hold power.
Someone on the squad once told me, “God created the world with words. He spoke and it came into existence. So therefore, we create our world with words.”
The words that we speak to ourselves, the words that we speak to each other, and the words that we hear affect the lens in which we view every detail of our lives. For me, it’s hard to truly understand the gravity of that. But if I look at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, it helps me to better see the power that words have.
At this time, Genesis 11:1 says, “the whole world had one language and a common speech.” As the people were building a city, God comes down to see what they were building and says,
“If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” (Genesis 11:6-7)
I can’t imagine a time where everyone on earth spoke the same language, but there was. God saw the power that humans had with a common language, even going so far as to say that nothing would be impossible for us if we all spoke the same language. That’s a bold statement.
Even though He “confused” the one universal language long ago in Genesis, He still gave us a voice, language, and the ability to learn and understand each other. It is a gift. I believe He wants us to use it to bring his Kingdom on earth.
It takes courage to speak words of life and believe the truth of God’s word.
It also takes courage not to speak words of discouragement and to reject lies of the enemy.
I think God wanted me so badly to really get this one. It changes how I relate to him, how I relate to the people around me, and how I relate to myself. It’s one seemingly small thing that has the power to change everything.
