![[Photo of a Scripture verse]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/Proverbs_18_10_v02.jpg)
| “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” |
| —Proverbs 18:10 |
There is enormous power in words. Words can uplift and words can destroy. Words can bring hope and words can bring hopelessness. Words can speak truth and words can tell lies.
The use of profanity has increased exponentially over the course of my lifetime. When I was a child, seven decades ago, I never heard a woman use profanity. It was unheard of to imagine that a “lady” would swear or curse. Now, I’m certain that in some circles to which I was not exposed, women may well have used coarse language as a symbol of their independence, or of how brazen they were, or of how “cool” they were. But, in the normal course of human exchange of words, women just didn’t speak profanely.
Today, many women speak with such profanity that there is not enough soap in the entire world to effectively wash out their collective mouths. Yes, there still are some women who purposefully do not speak coarsely. I celebrate them and give them the distinct honor that is their due. But, for the most part, both men and women now use words—that heretofore were scorned—as a common part of their everyday speech.
Part of the gigantic up-tick in the use of profanity involves the vane use of God’s name. In spite of the fact that the third of the Ten Commandments forbids the improper use of God’s name, countless millions of people curse and swear using His precious name improperly every moment of every day. Even devoted Christians have fallen into the trap of using profanity. When you live or work in an environment where such language is constantly used, it’s very hard to not use it yourself. It takes lots of self-discipline. And, one thing we people of America are not known for is our discipline.
The sadness in all of this is that the name of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are powerful, amazing names. Notice what King Solomon wrote, as recorded in Proverbs 18:10:
The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Here we see the power of God’s name. His name is a strong tower, one that is fortified against attack. His name has power to protect His chosen children. Those children can seek refuge in God’s name and find safety.
As we begin a new day, if we have fallen into the trap of using profanity because we hear so much of it around us, let’s determine to put coarse speech aside. Instead, when we speak of the God who loves us, let’s focus on how important His name is to us. After all, God loved us so much that He willingly gave us His one and only Son to die in our place. Shouldn’t we honor His name instead of using it as a means of expressing anger or surprise?
