A traveling missionary visited a village where, in one of the larger houses, a young girl lay seriously ill. The young girl's parents begged the missionary to come visit her.  The missionary came and knelt at the young girl's bed, took her by the hand and quietly prayed with her.  Then he rose.

  "Now this young girl will begin to recover." The priest said quietly to her parents.

  It happened that the girl's uncle was standing watching these events unfold. He was very skeptical of spiritual matters and felt that prayer would have little effect. So as the priest was about to leave, the uncle pulled the priest aside and with a scoff said, "How can a few words make this little niece of mine better. I think you had better get out of this house!"

  To the uncle's great surprise, the priest turned on him, and with eyes blazing with fury, shouted "You are an ignorant fool!"

  The uncle was taken aback, he was very much offended at the rudeness shown him. His face went purple with rage and he began to shake and sweat. He was about to take swing at  the missionary when he noticed something strange. The missionary's face broke into a slight smirk and finally into a broad grin.

  The priest spoke up, "When my few words can turn you from a completely composed, though doubtful individual into a man so purple with rage that you were about to strike me, why do you doubt that my few words spoken to a God who loves this little one more than any of us, could make her well again? You must remember all words have power. How we use our words determines what effect they have."

    That missionary priest has much to teach us. Stop for a moment to consider your own attitude about words, ask yourself some pertinent questions: Do you believe in the power of words?  Do you realize how much power you have in the words you speak? Do you realize what power your words spoken in prayer truly have?