EVERY detonation of an atomic device is a demonstration of the awesome, tremendous power of the word of Cod. Creation deals with anabolism, synthesis, the putting together and holding together of earth's component parts. The atomic bomb deals with catabolism, the breaking apart of that which God's word put together. As we reverently study the Creation and diligently consider the laws of nuclear fission, we begin to behold vast vistas of the power inherent in the creative word of God. God wishes His children to recognize the power of His word and He also wants us to be aware of the power in our own words.
The earth was created by words. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:6-9).
Prior to the command, "Let there be light," there were no organized forms suitable for an inhabited planet. It is conceivable that the basic elements were here prior to Creation week, though God was in no way indebted to pre-existing matter. It was all tohu wabohu empty, void, and lifeless. The elements were unorganized and inanimate. God spoke and brought order out of chaos, creation out of confusion.
From the human point of view God created the world out of nothing. However, be assured that the creation of the world was not a sleight-of-hand magic trick. God operated according to His own creative law, which we do not fully understand. He created the world out of something. He created it out of the power of His spoken word ./ Now, it is not the purpose of this article to say that finite man can understand the creative power of God, for we cannot. However, we can under stand "those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever" (Deut. 29:29). And though we can never by searching find out God, "the in visible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" (Rom. 1:20).
Cosmic Clue
At the sound of His voice the sound energy brought atoms and molecules together into functional configurations. Today, the same creative power manifested in the words spoken at Creation continues to hold minute particles of matter together.
Those who are nuclear physicists explain that there is a mysterious force at the base of all matter. When matter is peeled down to its heart (like an artichoke) past the molecule to the atom, scientists are mystified as to what is holding the atom together. They only know that in the heart of the atom there is a tremendous amount of "holding energy." They call it a cohesive force. They call it the "binding of the nucleus."
There are more than twenty-five different theories as to what this cosmic glue is and how it holds. Any popular encyclopedia breaks it down into laymen's terms under Einstein's theory of the conservation of matter. We know what this cohesive force is. God "hid these things from the wise and prudent, and . . . revealed them unto babes" (Matt. 11:25). The power binding the atom together is the power of God's word. "For by him were all things created: ... all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist [or "cohere, are held together/'Amplified Bible]" (Col. 1:16, 17).
Einstein's theory for the, con version of matter back into its original energy, expressed in the formula E=MC2 , spurred men to presume to tamper with the atom, to attempt to release the power that is holding it together. What happened is, of course, history. The power binding the nuclei of the atoms of a piece of U-235 (a peculiarly unstable element) the size of a grapefruit is what leveled Hiroshima near the conclusion of World War II. This is a modern-day demonstration of the power of the spoken word of God that brought that piece of U-235 into existence.
When Jesus came into the world He demonstrated for us the constructive use of word power. His words were gracious (Luke 4:22). His words were with power (see verse 32). They were authoritative words (see verse 36). They were kind, gentle, loving words. They were sympathetic and cheerful, and spoken with simplicity and earnestness. His words were alive with healing power, for "the word of Cod is quick [alive], and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and mar row, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).
Power Akin to Creator's
It being the nature and quality of love to give, God has shared this word power with us. He has given to man "a power akin to that of the Creator." Adam was created with power to conceptualize, abstractly and concretely; power to symbolize verbally these concepts. Otherwise how could Cod come down to enjoy fellowship with His crowning creation in the cool of the day.
There is also great power in our words, and the Scriptures are replete with cautions and warnings concerning the way we use these living expressions that escape our lips.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21).
"There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health" (chap. 12:18).
"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit" (chap. 15:4).
"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones" (chap. 16:24).
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver" (chap. 25:11).
Eliphaz faintly recognized that man had also been given a bit of God's power to command and it would stand fast. He told his friend Job, "Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee" (Job 22:28).
Self-fulfilling Prophecies
A few weeks ago I was going into a department store as a father and son were coming out. Obviously, the little fellow had done something that displeased his dad. There were words before I approached close enough to hear. I only heard the father decree, "Boy, you are pitiful!" The look on the young man's face showed plainly that the father had indeed decreed a thing and it was established. He had spoken and it was done, commanded and it stood fast in that impressionable young life.
When an individual who is significant to a child decrees some thing as being so, it becomes an established fact to the young mind. A child told "You're never going to amount to anything" may very well not amount to anything. Your pronouncement may well become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I'll never forget the time when I was pronounced dumb by a junior high school math teacher. She gave me a passing grade of "D" instead of "F" she felt I deserved upon the promise that I would never go to college. Her pronouncement stuck for years. I dropped out of high school after two years with the decree established in my young mind. It had to be true. The teacher said so. It took a series of divine providences to eventually shake off the effects of this misguided teacher's decree.
Power of Words
"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed" (Gen. . 2:8). It is likely that He planted the garden with His word, rather than His "green thumb." The original home was planted by the word and many a subsequent home has been destroyed by the power of cutting, sarcastic, unkind words. When King David returned the ark of the Lord to Bethlehem his exuberance was unbounded, to the extent that he literally danced with reverent joy. The account says that Michal, David's wife, "despised him in her heart" (2 Sam. 6:16).
When David came home from the celebration Michal shredded him with a few choice words. These words destroyed the relationship and devitalized the marriage. "Therefore Michal . . . had no child unto the day of her death" (verse 23). Apparently David lost all desire for her.
What power our words have. How much better it is to use them to foster love, success, and happiness. Every day our words should contribute to our spouse's feeling capable, appreciated, and sweet. Our children need to be told that we see them as trust worthy, sensible, responsible. Our friends should understand that we look upon them as faithful and good, generous, kind, and valuable.
Our words are so powerful, so alive, so finely honed, so able to help or hurt, to heal or wound, that it is no wonder that the Master Teacher cautioned, "that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matt. 12:36, 37). Daily our hearts should breathe the prayer, "Let the words of my mouth ... be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer" (Ps. 19:14).
