“All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” In crying out these very few words Isaiah summarises the vanity of human preoccupations, the transience of human existence and the perennial nature of God’s word, the very word, adds Peter that has been preached to us. The comparison is striking and calls for a response.
I believe it calls on believers to live with an abiding obsession with God’s word, written, preached and spoken. What God said is what led to the very existence of all that is, what God says is what sustains all that is, and what God says is the mainstay of our very lives. Hebrews explains to all that all that is visible was made out of that which is invisible. Consequently we can surmise that all that will be will also come out of that invisible, spoken word, for all circumstances are subject to change; we merely need an understanding of the mind of God and the word of God in every situation.
God speaks through His written word, He speaks by His Spirit in our hearts, through circumstances, etc, but God speaks. And what He communicates is the final word on any situation, everything else must align itself with His word. Since that is so, it is a wise one who will choose to honour the Father by honouring His word, to make Bible reading a staple in their life, to make listening to God in prayer a priority over all other activities. God told Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
As we come into a new year I pray that you will have the wisdom to make this your story, that the word of the Lord will find permanent residence in your mouth and in your heart. It is as you focus on His written word that you will accurately discern His spoken word in your heart and His guidance in your circumstances. I want to encourage all the readers of this blog to make 2011 a year in which the word of God will have preeminence in their lives.
And that is why we have chosen to start this year on the right footing and devote the first day of the year to the word of God * ; we will be spending time waiting on the Lord, listening to His heart and receiving directions for 2011. We are convinced that each and every one will receive a word that will make a difference in their lives in 2011. God honours those who honour Him, we are honouring Him by giving precedence to His word.
Shalom!