The Power of a Woman’s Words and Faith
Key Scripture: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” — Genesis 1:26
When you read the creation account in Genesis 1, you arrive at the sixth day and encounter those words: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”
The men’s ministry in my church has a slogan. Someone calls out “Man!” and the response comes back: “The image and the glory of God!” It’s rooted in that verse. But the word man here isn’t referring only to the male gender — Genesis 1:27 makes that clear: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” So yes, men can boldly declare they’re made in the image of God. But so can we as women. We are image-bearers too, carrying the dignity, identity and purpose that comes from being made by God, in His image — and there’s something particularly powerful about what the creation account reveals about the God whose image we bear.
What Does It Mean to Be Made in the Image of God?
When we hear that humanity was made in God’s image, we might wonder what that actually means. Did God make us physically to look like Him, or is it something spiritual? Scripture teaches that it’s far deeper than physical appearance — it speaks to the unique way humanity reflects God’s character, nature, authority and purpose.
So let’s go back to the beginning. Before Genesis 1:26, what picture of God has Scripture already given us? Genesis 1:2 says: “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Formlessness. Emptiness. Darkness. And then God spoke: “Let there be light.” And there was light.
God kept speaking throughout the creation account, and His words brought order to what was formless, filled what was empty, and brought light into darkness. He spoke, and creation responded, He spoke, and things came into being. He spoke, and what did not exist began to exist. Only after revealing Himself as the God who speaks does He say, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” (The “Us” points to the mystery of His triune nature — Father, Son and Holy Spirit.)
So what has God shown us about Himself through creation? He is a God who speaks. His Word carries power, brings life, brings order, brings light. As women created in His image, we should never underestimate the significance of our own words.
You are a speaking being.
That doesn’t mean our words carry God’s creative power, or that we can speak things into existence apart from Him — God alone is Creator. But as His image-bearers, our words matter. We’ve been given the ability to communicate, encourage, bless, pray, proclaim truth and speak life, and Scripture shows us this again and again: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).
So, sis — what are you speaking?
The Power of Our Speech
Genesis begins with a world that was formless, empty and dark. God spoke, and light came. He kept speaking, and creation took shape. He brought order to chaos and filled what was empty.
So let me ask you: is there an area of your life that feels formless right now? Is darkness overpowering you, or emptiness settling in? Does your situation look like it’s going nowhere — your marriage, your family, your finances, your career, your health, a dream you’ve carried for years? Maybe you’ve prayed and prayed and still can’t see the answer.
Remember: you are an image-bearer of a God who speaks. Your words may not instantly change your circumstances, but they can align your heart with God’s truth. You can speak His Word over your situation, pray, declare His promises, call forth hope where there appears to be none. Romans 4:17 reminds us that God “calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” That’s not an invitation to deny reality — it’s an invitation to believe God in the middle of reality. You can acknowledge what you see while still believing what God has said. You can say, “This is what my situation looks like, but this is not all that God has spoken.”
We Speak by Faith
Faith is essential when we speak God’s Word over our circumstances. In Matthew 17, a man brought his son to Jesus because the disciples hadn’t been able to heal him. Jesus rebuked the demon, and the boy was healed. Afterward, the disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” Jesus answered, “Because of your unbelief,” and went on to talk about faith the size of a mustard seed — faith that could say to a mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move.
The lesson isn’t that our words are magical. It’s that faith places its confidence in God. We speak because we believe God is able, we pray because we believe God hears. We declare His Word because we believe it’s true. When we face mountains, we don’t have to approach them with unbelief and despair — we can approach them with faith.
What are you saying about your mountain? “This will never change,” or “My God is able”? “There’s no way forward,” or “God will make a way”? “I will never recover,” or “God is still my healer, my provider, my sustainer and my hope”? Faith doesn’t require pretending the mountain isn’t there. It reminds us the mountain isn’t bigger than God.
How Do We Build Our Faith?
I know this is easier said than done — I can relate. You may be thinking, “But I’ve prayed. I’ve declared God’s Word. I’ve believed. And I still haven’t seen any change.” That’s a valid place to be. The waiting can become frustrating. Sometimes we wonder if God has heard us, or grow tired of praying the same prayer over and over.
I think the disciples felt something similar. They’d tried to minister to that boy and hadn’t gotten the result they expected, so they went to Jesus with their questions, and He taught them about faith. Later, we see those same disciples operating differently. In Acts 3, Peter and John encounter a man who’d been lame from birth at the temple’s Beautiful Gate. Peter says, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” — and the man is healed.
What changed? The disciples had encountered the risen Christ. They’d waited in the upper room and received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They were now walking in that power, boldly proclaiming Jesus. Their confidence was no longer in themselves — it was in Christ. That’s an important lesson for us too.
Faith has to be cultivated.
We build it through prayer, the Word of God, worship, obedience and waiting on Him. Jesus taught His disciples that some spiritual battles require this: “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). For a long time now, whenever I’ve faced a difficult situation, I’ve returned to that principle. I pray. I fast. I wait on God. I immerse myself in His Word. And through that process, my circumstances haven’t always changed right away — but I have. My faith gets renewed, my strength restored, my perspective shifts. I remember who God is, and I’m able to stand again.
Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” Sometimes God changes the situation. Sometimes He changes us while we wait for the situation to change. Either way, waiting on God is never wasted.
Don’t Let What You See Silence What You Believe
One of the hardest parts of faith is learning not to let what we see determine what we believe. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). You may have declared something yesterday and still see no evidence today — that doesn’t mean you stop trusting God. Perhaps, you have prayed for years and still be waiting — that doesn’t mean He’s become incapable. You may not understand what God is doing — that doesn’t mean He isn’t working.
Faith says, “I trust God even when I cannot see.” But there’s a balance here too. Faith isn’t about using positive words to manipulate God, and it isn’t pretending pain doesn’t exist or refusing to acknowledge hard circumstances. Faith is choosing to trust God in the middle of them. You can cry and still have faith. You can be disappointed, ask questions, feel tired — and still have faith. And you can keep speaking God’s truth even while you wait.
I Am Walking This Out Myself
I don’t write these articles from a place of having everything figured out. Rather, I write from experience — I’m walking this out myself.
My six-year-old daughter is preverbal. As her mother, I know the pain of having a child who can’t always communicate her needs to me. I know what it feels like to watch other children communicate and wonder when that moment will come for mine. I know what it feels like to pray and wait. I’ve spoken over her life since she was in my womb, and yet my present reality doesn’t fully reflect everything I’ve been praying for.
But I refuse to let what I see today determine what I believe God can do tomorrow. I keep praying and believing. I keep speaking that my daughter will communicate her needs fully one day, that she’ll find her voice, that her life has purpose, and that God knows her completely — because she, too, is an image-bearer of God. She was created in His image, and the God whose image she bears is the God who speaks.
Jesus Spoke — and Creation Responded
Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus speaking with authority. When the disciples were caught in a storm, He spoke to the wind and the sea — “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39) — and the wind ceased, the waves grew calm. He spoke healing to the sick and life to the dead. In John 11, standing before Lazarus’s tomb, He called, “Lazarus, come forth!” and Lazarus walked out.
There’s power in the Word of God, in prayer, in faith — and in choosing to speak God’s truth when everything around you says to give up.
So, What Are You Speaking?
Dear sister, whatever you’re facing today, speak to it. Not because your words are magic, not because you can control God, not because every declaration produces an instant result — but because your words matter. Speak God’s Word, His hope, His promises over your children, your marriage, your future, your identity, the places where fear has been shouting louder than faith. And when you don’t know what to say, open your Bible and let His Word become your declaration.
You may not see the change immediately. The mountain may not move today. You may have to pray again tomorrow, and the day after that. But don’t let the delay make you doubt God’s ability. You are an image-bearer, You are a woman of faith. You are a speaking being.
So speak.
Pray. Believe. Wait. And trust God with the outcome — because the God who spoke light into darkness is still God, and the God who created you in His image is still working.
She believed. She spoke. She trusted God. She is a speaking being.
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