THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF WORDS
PSALM 64:2-3 NKJV
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
David's Psalms indicate that he must have faced a great amount of opposition in his life.
In Psalm 64, David talks to the Lord about what the wicked are doing. He asks for God's protection and declares that, in the end, God will vindicate him. In this Psalm, we do not see David speak of taking things into his own hands.
What stood out to me in this Psalm was how words were compared with swords and arrows. Both swords and arrows were the primary weapons for individuals in David's day.
Today we might compare words with knives and bullets. Both can cause harm. Both can do damage.
And this is not the first time words are compared to weapons. In Proverbs 12:18, words are likened to a sword or tools to promote healing.
Proverbs also declares death and life are in the power of the tongue. We tend to focus on the positive power of our words, using our words for good. But we must also focus on the negative power in order to not shoot or stab others with our words.
A friend of mine uses the hypothetical situation of coming into a room and shooting people with a compound bow and arrows. When he calms down, he apologizes, but people are hurting with arrows sticking in them. A rather dramatic visual, but the point is well made. We can apologize for our angry, bitter words, but people are still hurting.
APPLICATION:
This may have been one of the most challenging and problematic parts of my marriage. I was very unkind with my words and would shoot my mouth off too quickly. Even though I would almost always apologize after I had cooled down, the damage had been done.
With the Lord's help, I gained control over my mouth, and my marriage flourished. I am by no means perfect, but the bitter arrows have been greatly reduced.
Making improvements in our words will make improvements to any relationship. Let's purpose to greatly reduce and eliminate the destructive words.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me gain control of my words. I want my words to heal, not wound.