THE POWER OF WORDS

 

         As a songwriter and admirer of poetry I have listened and made a study of words since I was a teenager.  I poured over all the books of poetry in the library I could get my hands on.  Then began to actually listen to the lyrics of most of the popular songs of the day such as the Beatles and Dylan.  These songs had a great affect on me and spoke to my heart unlike anything I heard before.  Just a simple phrase held my affection and I would often sing along to the radio, just as I see my son doing now. I marveled at how well the words were strung together and seemed to flow in a cool way.  What made them cool? I wanted to know why, so I studied lyrics of every song I could get a hold of,  but it wasn’t until I became a Christian that  I  knew the true value of words.  Singing worship songs in church and praying lifted the meaning of words to a higher level.  I relized that words carried with them power.  I learned that in the beginning was the Word, and all creation began with a word, and Jesus is the Word, and the word was deposited in us when we became receivers of the Word.  Then I learned that words affect everyone around us and even the lack of words speaks volumes.  Words determine how far we go in life.  Words can even bring healing (Proverbs 12:18).  Isn’t it wonderful to apologize to someone and see the walls melt between you and old wounds being heald before your eyes?  Words carry power to defeat Satan.  The words you write in a song also carry power to touch and change hearts, not that we give them any power of our own, but power of God who created them and deposited them in us.  Also I think it’s important to not worship the words that  we hear,  like I did as a teenager, but to worship the one creater who gave them to us to use.   

         Now as receivers of the word,  I think our job is to turn around and reflect them to others around us.  So next time you are jotting down some lyrics remember:  there is power in those words.  Keep on writin’ JB>