February 04, 2012

Gospel Power

Isaiah 55

“My word that goes out from my mouth … will not return to me empty.”
Isaiah 55:11

— 

I was in Egypt for a conference with our Arabic staff. While traveling along the Nile River, I couldn’t help noticing a graphic display of the life-giving power of water. On one side of the road, beside the Nile, fields were lush and green. On the other side was an endless vista of desert.

In Isaiah’s day people understood the precarious nature of living in an arid land. Each year the autumn rains brought renewed life to the dry fields of Palestine. The rains brought life where there was death.

The same is true of the Word of God. As part of a media ministry that operates nearly 40 ministry websites, airs radio programs on over 2,000 stations, and distributes nearly 4 million devotional booklets a year, I am deeply thankful for the power of the Word of God. I am convinced that our work makes an eternal difference. Why? Because, as Isaiah indicates, God’s Word is at work in the world, and it never fails to deliver on God’s intentions. Or, as Hebrews 4:12 puts it, the Word of God “is alive and active.”

That’s true in our personal lives too. Sometimes we want so badly to be different people. But we don’t know how to begin. Here’s a suggestion. Water the dry places of your life with God’s Word. You’ll be amazed by the results.

Lord, what we can’t accomplish on our own, you achieve through your Word. Help us to immerse our own lives in your Word and to bring that Word to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

About the author — Bob Heerspink

Dr. Robert Heerspink was director of Back to God Ministries International from 2006 until 2011, when he passed away. He had previously pastored several Christian Reformed churches. Bob loved to write and was a frequent contributor to the Today devotional.

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