The Power of the Word

Death and life are in the power of the tongue’ (Proverbs 18:21)

I thought of someone the other day who, by my calculations, is probably deceased by now, prompting me to think up an impromptu eulogy which was “at least she can’t do anyone any more harm now”.  It was more gracious than it looks for I had never heard a word from her lips that was not vicious, critical, malicious or deceitful or all of the above. Perhaps one ‘kindred spirit’ attended the funeral but even for him it would have been more relief than sorrow.

Words do have immense power to create or destroy, to give life or to kill. I am sure it is easy to put names and faces to those we have encountered through life, who have been kind, encouraging, compassionate, caring, patient, loving - those who have given life by their presence, example and guidance, and similarly those we have encountered who caused great pain and wounding the heart and soul by their presence and words.

One Japanese chap, Dr. Masuro Emoto, conducted a series of experiments to determine the effects of both positive and negative words spoken (and written) on the response of water. (It is worth noting that we are 60%+ water) Whilst this would come under the category of Pseudo-Science as would many of his conclusions, what is interesting is the observations he made and their consistency.

Firstly he exposed water samples to positive spoken words, like Love, Gratitude, Peace, Joy. Then he froze the water samples and observed the structure of the resultant ice:- they formed beautiful, orderly crystalline structures. He conducted the same experiment using negative spoken words like Hate, Anger, Rage. The samples were again frozen and the structures were also examined. This time they were distorted, chaotic structures. The same observations were made by wrapping the water samples in paper with the words written on them, (in different languages) both positive and negative words giving the same resultant crystalline forms observed with spoken words. Exposure of water to prayer also produced the beautiful Crystals in the frozen water. Interestingly; he also tried different types of music played to water samples and this too yielded consistent results of orderly crystals in the water exposed to classical music and distorted shapes in the water exposed to loud heavy metal music.

Of course we can see too the power of words in the Gospels, at Jesus’s word (and later the apostles) demons are expelled, sickness removed from the body, the dead raised to life, sins forgiven, and when He found no fruit on the fig tree and cursed it, it died.