Our Words — Intended Effects

I’ve always enjoyed the Books of Samuel as the life of David the classic underdog, moves from shepherd boy to GIANT killer….from winning battles with great courage and dignity to great disasters. David is described on one hand as a man after God’s own heart and on the other hand as a man who’s weakness leads to adultery and murder. Wow, the Books of Samuel are more exciting than any novel you can find today. 

The books begin with the story of Samuel the young prophet. We read that during this time, “ a revelation of the Lord was uncommon and vision infrequent….. Samuel was notfamiliar with the Lord, because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet…. but Samuel grew up and the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.” (1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20)

For anyone who loves God and is serious in trying to follow him, that last line is most compelling….. “the Lord was with Samuel, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.” (1Sam. 3:19) A disciple of the Lord looks to be an obedient servant, listening carefully to the Lord and being quick to obey. When this happens, the words spoken will have the intended effects. In the various roles we have over our lifetime, we want to hear the Lord and be his instrument in presenting his words. As a husband and father, we need to listen carefully to the instructions of the Lord and then speak them in a way that can be heard by our family. As a friend and co-worker, we want to be alert to speaking words that will help others so they can be blessed. 

There’s nothing better than being an instrument of the Lord, bringing forth the healing words of the Lord to others. Often it’s words of encouragement, of healing, of hope, of instruction; other times it may be words of caution, of correction, of repentance. Whatever the words may be, it’s great when these words bring about the desired effects.

In a world where hope seems to be waning and discouragement is common, the Lord will often use us to bring words of encouragement to those who are getting knocked back by the difficulties of the day. For this to happen, we need to stay close to the Lord and listen carefully to his words. We need to observe the effects of the words we speak…is there good fruit, are the downtrodden uplifted? If so, keep going…continue to listen carefully to the Lord and pass it on.

King David needed Samuel to help him hear the Lord. Today we need each other to help us hear the Lord and be willing to follow his direction. If we do that with humility and care, the words he gives us to speak will not be “without effect”. And that is very good news.