Words have power! Our Creator God literally spoke the creation into existence. In fact, Psalm 33:8-9 calls us to take notice: “Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.”

The Lord, in His benevolence, has also given us the capacity to speak. With this privilege comes responsibility, because our words carry the power to build up and tear down.

As God’s people, we understand His Word teaches much on the importance of speech, including verses like Ephesians 4:29, which states: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

As we ponder our words in light of our witness, a powerful component to our spoken testimony is to bless another person. In fact, to verbally bless someone is to speak life into that person’s reality.

The most famous blessing in Judaism is called the Aaronic Benediction, taken from Numbers 6:24-26:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”

Although I’ve ended many a church meeting with this blessing (in Hebrew and English), these words can be shared personally and informally in our everyday witness. Call them snippets of grace, if you will. Occasionally I’ve even had retail clerks at secular outlets say, “Have a blessed day” — a simple reminder that these snippets of grace can come from anyone, anywhere. How much more should we, as God’s people, take that initiative.

In our daily witness, uttering these snippets of grace takes some initiative and effort. Whether you’re in a retail setting, at a restaurant, or mingling with a stranger during this summer’s busy travel season, I encourage you to step out and speak a word of blessing into the life of another human being. You can use any part of this powerful benediction. And if you’re one who struggles with witnessing conversations, this is a simple, yet powerful starter.

And by the way, don’t limit yourself to blessing only strangers — it’s certainly appropriate to speak life in this manner to anyone in your sphere of influence.

So, take initiative and opportunity to speak life through these snippets of grace. And as you do, the Lord bless you and keep you!

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