The Power of God's Word
“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 NKJV)
Most of you have probably heard this verse. You may have even used it recently to encourage a friend. Have you ever pondered how God’s Word does not return void? How it accomplishes what He pleases and why it prospers? Come ponder with me as I share my contemplations.
God’s Word has the Power to Reproduce
“It shall not return to Me void,” The fact that God’s Word does not return void implies that it does something once spoken. We see this from the beginning when God created the world out of nothing we can see. He did it with His Words. He spoke words and those words created everything we see around us. How?
God often uses the natural to teach us spiritual truths. In Genesis 1:11 we read:
“And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind.” (Gen. 1:11 NKJV)
A perennial flower bulb has the power within itself to flower every year. God gave it that creative power and locked it into its DNA. Similarly, God’s Word has the power hidden within it to reproduce itself. Within God’s Word is His creative power to bring His promise to pass1.
Now let’s look at something really cool. Let’s fast forward to the New Testament to the book of Colossians.
“The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple.” Colossians 1:27 (MSG)
“Christ is in you” is the reality of God’s ability to produce after His kind in us. Jesus Christ is the Word of God. God’s Word (Jesus) will reproduce itself in our lives. It cannot return void.
God’s Word is the Ultimate Power
“But it shall accomplish what I please,” God’s Word accomplishes what He pleases. This implies that God has control over the outcome. How?
In the beginning physical matter literally responded to the Word of God and formed into the heavens and the earth. Then, in 2 Peter 3:4 God states that all things continue as they were from the beginning.
“and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” (2 Pet. 3:4 NKJV)
This tells us that everything in heaven and earth responded to God’s Word and is continuing to respond to God’s Word. Maybe God’s Word accomplishes what He pleases because that’s how God set it up.
In Genesis 1:28, Adam’s mandate was to manage and subdue the earth. In his perfect relationship with his Father prior to The Fall, it would have been according to His Father’s Word, thus allowing God to continually meet his every need. Here is the good news for us. God wrote down His Word in a book called the Bible. When we apply the Word of God, we are speaking power that can move our lives and circumstances to line up with God’s will.
God’s Word Prospers
“And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Why does God’s Word prosper? Reproducing ability and ultimate power are already two very good reasons for a powerful result. But God doesn’t say result, He says prosper. The Hebrew root word used here for prosper is the word tsalach which means to cleave, penetrate and advance. That’s pretty cool. God’s Word sticks to what it’s being spoken to, penetrates it with God’s promise and advances it in the thing for which it was sent.
There are many scriptures concerning prospering. The one that specifically comes to mind and that is pertinent to these ponderings, is in Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower to his disciples:
“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bearsfruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matt. 13:23 NKJV)
The good ground of the seed is a requirement for it to bear fruit. In the same way, if we become good ground – if we hear God’s Word, understand it and put our faith behind it - His Word will have a reproducing, powerful, and prospering impact in our lives, our circumstances and the world around us.
These contemplations have deepened my personal understanding of what it means to wield the sword of God’s word (Ephesians 6:17). I hope it’s deepened yours too.
1Gloria Copeland, Hidden Treasures. Abundant living in the riches of proverbs. Ft. Worth TX. Kenneth Copeland Publications.
Jacque Younger heads up the Parent to Parent Ministry at our Flower Mound Campus. She has two boys in G8 and G5 this year. The Younger family have been at CDA since their eldest started Kindergarten 9 years ago. They choose CDA first and foremost because of the classical curriculum through the lens of a biblical worldview and second because they weren't ready to send their sweet 5 year old to school 5-days a week.
Jacque Younger heads up the Parent to Parent Ministry at our Flower Mound Campus. She has two boys in G8 and G5 this year. The Younger family have been at CDA since their eldest started Kindergarten 9 years ago. They choose CDA first and foremost because of the classical curriculum through the lens of a biblical worldview and second because they weren't ready to send their sweet 5 year old to school 5-days a week.
No comments have been posted
