Some people think that we humans are nothing more than bones, muscles, organs, tissue and chemicals all wrapped up in an outer shell of flesh. They don’t understand, appreciate or even believe that human beings have a soul and spirit. To them, anything and everything about us can be explained scientifically.
If this is the case, I wonder how these people can explain why it is that unkind words spoken to us can be so painful and damaging? After all, there are no physical wounds that appear when harmful words are spoken… no blood is shed… no bruises appear… no vital organs are pierced or penetrated. Yet, words coming from another person’s mouth can be so painful and hurtful that they can make a person stop eating, stop smiling, stop hoping and stop believing. How can invisible breaths of air containing sound waves cause so much damage to a human being? It can’t be explained scientifically, because it is a matter of the soul and spirit… science can’t explain the realm of the soul or spirit.
Words can hurt us because they can penetrate and wound our souls… that inner part of us that so many of us overlook because we’ve invested all of our time, money and energy into our flesh (our physical being). The human soul can be helped or hurt by words. The human soul can be encouraged or discouraged by words. Words can get “inside” us… not just in our ears and in our brains, but in our souls and spirits.
If you’ve been wounded by the words of a fellow human being you are most likely experiencing pain in your soul. You can’t go to the Emergency Room and have the wound mended. There is no physical wound to show to the doctor, but there is a wound, nonetheless. So, where do we go when our souls are wounded? Psalm 23 gives the answer as it tells us about our Good Shepherd who leads us beside still waters and RESTORES OUR SOUL. Words from other humans can wound our souls, but a word from God can heal us!
Psalm 107:20 says “He sent His word and healed them.”
