Dear Amy,
How important are the words we speak?
I was reflecting again on that awesome vision of the apostle John of the throne room of heaven, and it reminded me of another time the Lord was seen seated on a throne.
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
― Isaiah 6:1
Doesn’t Isaiah so far make this sound rather matter-of-fact, even commonplace? In fact it was nothing of the sort.
Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
― Isaiah 6:2-4
So mighty was the voice of that single seraph that it shook the very foundations of the temple. This was nothing commonplace at all.
Isaiah’s response is revealing. We would do well to pay attention to it.
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
― Isaiah 6:5
How interesting. Of all the things about which Isaiah could have been convicted, of all his failures and shortcomings exposed before the Lord of hosts, he knew his doom was sealed by his unclean lips, by the words he had spoken⸺and the words of the people amongst whom he lived, their words also condemned him. His own sin was not excused by the sin of those around him. Rather their sin compounded his own.
Our words matter to an extent that may be difficult to grasp. They carry great power⸺power to heal or power to destroy. Remember that each one of us is made in the image of the living God, the living God who, infinite in power and awesome in splendour and majesty, simply spoke the universe into existence. Words matter. Jesus said as much.
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
― Matthew 12:34-37
How words matter⸺and Isaiah’s words condemned him. In the presence of the holy, holy, holy Lord of hosts, he knew he was a man of unclean lips, and he was undone. He so needed what came next.
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
― Isaiah 6:6-7
How powerful are the words we speak, for good or for evil. And how we ourselves need to be saved from our own shortcomings in this area.
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
― Romans 10:8-10
Praise our wonderful Saviour who can rescue from words spoken foolishly or even with malice. We must repent, receive forgiveness, and know that just like Isaiah, our guilt is taken away and our sin atoned for. And then we can speak with great power for good and for healing and for the furtherance of the Kingdom.
Speak with great power out of the good treasure that the Lord has put in your heart, Amy, and praise him! 🙏