“For as the rain and the snow come down from
heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout, giving
seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my
word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not
return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which
I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent
it.”
- Isaiah 55:10-11
Every
day you are bombarded with useless words, words which demand your attention but
receive only a fraction of it, words which plead for action but are met instead
by indifference. Words like those in a coworker’s presentation that doesn’t
seem to relate to your own work. Words like a distant friend’s rambling
political musings on Facebook. And, of course, the big, bright words of an
endless stream of advertisements—in magazines and e-mails, on bus benches and
billboards—that confront you seemingly every minute of the day.
Occasionally,
a message will burst through the fog of triviality—a kind note, a perceptive
proverb, an inspiring speech—and remind you, if only for a second, that words
can matter. In those brief flashes of transcendence, words can compel you,
persuade you, encourage you, even inspire you. But usually, the moment passes
quickly. The light fades, and you are forced to blindly stumble through a web
of useless words.
There
are so many unimportant, unwise, and even unintelligible words in our lives that
it’s hard to know which matter and which do not. In Isaiah 55, God reminds us of
this: the word of the Lord is always worthy of your attention and response, and
it never returns to Him empty. Unlike so much of the chattering we hear every
day, God’s word always has a purpose.
God’s
word is, of course, revealed in Scripture, in the stories, poetry and teachings
of the Bible. But the word of the Lord is not limited to verses on a page. The
word of the Lord is the creative power that fashioned the stars and breathed
life into the dusty form of man. The word of the Lord is the commanding power
that delivered Israel from Egypt’s slavery and rebuked it in Babylon’s exile. Most
importantly, the word of the Lord is the incarnate power—the word made flesh—who shows us the true character,
nature, and purpose of God.
While
the world’s gossip leaves you unmoored, you can build your life around the word
of God. While the world’s precepts leave you unsure, you can find certainty in the
word of God. And while even the most profound maxims of this world still leave
you empty, you can find purpose and power in the word of God.
So
few of the words we hear, read—and, yes, say—truly matter. But amid the onslaught
of meaningless words, God speaks the word of life and truth. Are you listening?
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