with our missionaries
The power of words In the village of Tin we made a habit of going to Father Drissa, the elder of our courtyard, to inform him when we were leaving the village for an overnight trip. He then gave us blessings: “May God bring you back safely” and “May God give you peace.” One day we left to go to the city of Bobo-Dioulasso without informing him of our departure. A few days later when we came back home, I went to greet him. He said, “Where did you go? Why didn’t you tell me? That was a dangerous thing to do.” “If you had told me that you were leaving, I would have sent you on your way with my blessings,” he explained. “Without such blessings you could have had an accident or other misfortune. The next time you go on a trip, be sure to let me know.” On another occasion a friend of mine noticed some jugs of water in the back of my Peugot 404 pick-up truck. He asked me why I kept them there. I told him that this was drinking water—just a safety precaution in case our truck would break down in the middle of nowhere. He was shocked and told me I should never talk like that. The words I had spoken—“in case our truck would break down”—were
Words do indeed have power when they are inspired by the Holy Spirit and empowered by Jesus Christ who indwells us.
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THE MESSENGER | June 2010
PHOTO COURTESY paul thiessen
burkina faso
Our Peugot 404 pick-up truck, stopping at a fast food restaurant along the road in Orodara.
dangerous words. Just saying them could cause our truck to break down. He told me that to answer such a question I should instead say, “We might decide to make an unplanned visit along the way that would prolong our trip, in which case we would need some extra drinking water.” That would be a safer answer. People in Burkina Faso believe that words have power. The Bible also teaches us that words have power. God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. Jesus said to a deaf man, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened”) and the man’s ears were opened (Mark 7:34). I have learned from my Muslim friends in Tin that giving blessings to people is important and necessary and valuable. Words do indeed have power when they are inspired by the Holy Spirit and empowered by Jesus Christ who indwells us. We as God’s people should be more ready to say to those we meet, “May God bless you.” We should say to people who are sick, “May God
make you well.” We should send people off on a journey by saying, “May God give you a safe trip.” Blessings are prayers that are spoken to a person, accompanied by faith that our sovereign God is in control and that he wants to help us in all circumstances. Words of blessing result in God’s power being released to accomplish His will, just as our prayers are effective in changing situations for the good. Paul Thiessen
Paul Thiessen (Blumenort) is a linguist and Bible translator who, though on North American assignment, has returned briefly to Burkina Faso.
