Speak Life

Genesis 1:1-2 (NIV)

‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.’

Have you ever wondered as a child what your super-power would be if you were offered the option? I used to all the time, and I remember playing with the kids in the neighbourhood one day when I made a (probably devastatingly honest!) remark about another child’s ability to draw… castles… or flowers, or something… My mum took me aside and told me that I was a superhero. “Your superpower is your speech. With your words, you can either build or destroy. The choice is yours!”

Years later, reading through the first chapter of the Bible, I discovered that God created the world with nothing else but the words of his mouth. God literally spoke the world into being – that’s how powerful words are! Later in the chapter, we learn that God created us in his image. My mum’s words make a bit more sense now… we are all superheroes - we inherited some of God’s ability to create with our words. That’s why the scriptures frequently remind us to be wise about what comes out of our lips.

Would you take a moment to reflect on whom you could bless today with an encouraging word? It doesn’t have to be big – brightening someone’s day can take as little as a heartfelt, ‘Thank you for being you!’

Prayer – Lord, thank you so much for sharing some of your incredible abilities with us and for making us aware of their power. Would you please highlight a person to us today and an encouraging word you’d like us to speak over them? Today and every day, help us to speak with gentleness, wisdom, compassion and self-control.