Ephesians 4:11-16: It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
For one more week we focus on the phrase speaking the truth in love. This week I want to discuss the importance of speaking words of comfort and healing.
As recorded in Luke 4:18-19 Jesus quoted a portion of Isaiah 61:1-3 regarding the role of the Messiah. Jesus has now delegated to the church the mission of ministering healing and comfort to a broken and hurting world.
Isaiah 61:1-3. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Notice that part of the mission of the church is to bind up the brokenhearted; to comfort all who mourn. We are to bestow on those who mourn a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
I often make reference to Proverbs 18:21, The tongue has the power of life and death. You can choose to speak words of life or death. You can choose to speak words of prosperity or poverty. You can choose to speak words of healing or sickness. You can choose to speak words of comfort or torment. Or you can choose to sit on the sidelines, and speak nothing, when God has given you the ability to minister his life, his healing and his comfort to others.
Proverbs 12:18 states, Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Then Proverbs 15:4 states, The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Sometimes you know when a person is hurting. Sometimes a person may be hurting, and that person hides the pain. In either situation you can make a difference.
Commit yourself to speaking only life. Proverbs 10:11 states, The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. Minister the life of God wherever you go through your words. Elminate negative, hurtful words from your vocabulary.
Commit yourself to listening. A common problem with all of us is that we like to hear ourselves speak. Learn to listen to the other person. Listen to their words. But, go a step further. Listen to the other person's heart. Hear more than just their actual words. If you make that commitment, the Holy Spirit will help you to hear more than what their actual words are communicating.
Then, commit yourself to speak the appropriate words for that person. The Holy Spirit will help you to speak words of healing. He will give you the right response. Proverbs 15:23 says, A man finds joy in giving an apt reply, and how good is a timely word.
You don't have to say too much. You don't have to solve all the problems that person has. Just speak the appropriate words of healing and comfort for that situation.
You can make a difference. You can help bind up the brokenhearted. You can bring to a person a crown of beauty instead of ashes; the oil of gladness instead of mourning; the garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair.
Don't believe the lies of Satan that you can't make a difference in the life of someone who is hurting. You can make all the difference in the world in someone's life by speaking the truth in love, through words of healing and comfort.
Wayne L. Williams
wayne@fotwm.org