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God's Word Does Its Work

“It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” –Isaiah 55:11NLT

 Picture this promise in action: God speaks and His Word travels out like a seed carried by a gust of wind. This wind, God’s Spirit, carries the Word to the exact place God intends for it to go: to a person, to a community, to a nation, or to the whole world. There, He nurtures it until it produces fruit such as salvation, growth, healing, conviction, restoration, reconciliation, comfort, or calling. In this way, God’s Word always completes its work. It prospers wherever it goes.

God has sent the whole world His Word through the Bible and through the incarnate life of His Son, Jesus Christ. This Word reveals God to anyone who will listen; our God wants to be known!

Therefore, He sends out His Word by His Spirit who makes it known through the lives of God’s obedient people, through the Church community, through sermons and Christian literature, through Creation, and even, sometimes, through “the sound of a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12). God’s communication choices are infinitely creative. His Spirit always delivers the intended message, so that the Word can accomplish its work.

I find it comforting to know that this is God’s work and that He promises it will be done. But I also love knowing that God invites His children to participate. Here are three things we can do as God sends out His Word:

1.      We can get to know God better through His Word.

The better we know God, the more effectively we represent Him to the people He brings into our lives. They will see Him in the way we live and hear Him through the words we speak. Like the moon reflects the sun, we will reflect the God we love to this world. God’s Spirit will be able to use us to deliver God’s Word.

2.      We can learn to listen to God’s Spirit.

Though an audible voice is rare, God’s Spirit does impress thoughts and ideas on those who sincerely want to work with God. A ministry opportunity may capture our attention and refuse to let go. A Bible verse may pop into mind at a significant time. Sometimes we just know that God is communicating with us. It is important to pray about such thoughts and impressions and to be sure they line up with what the Bible says. With practice, however, we can learn to recognize direction from God’s Spirit.

3.      We can pray for God to send His Word to specific people and places.

Regarding Isaiah 55:11, this is my favorite! When God sends out His Word, it prospers wherever He sends it. Therefore, I want to ask Him to send it everywhere! In fact, I have no doubt that He wants to send it everywhere. But He invites us to present our requests. So let’s ask God to send His Word to the Muscogee County Jail; to the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; to the Kansas City Rescue Mission; to Hollywood; to the North family and all of its descendants; to AFNORTH International School; to the waitress at IHOP who always remembers her customer’s names; to our homes; to our churches; to our communities; and more.

God gave His Word to the world so the world could know Him. He didn’t just give it once; He is continually sending it out, and it always does exactly what He wants it to do. Sometimes, He sends it to work in each of us, and sometimes, He sends it out to others through us. This is God’s amazing work. Thank You, Lord, for inviting us to watch with wonder and gratefully join in.


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Photo by Olivia Snow on Freely.

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