“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it..”– Isaiah 55:11
A story is told of a revival that would take place in a small country general store in Abingdon, Virginia. As word got around of the meeting, a boy named Robert Sheffey would attend, but with the sole purpose of causing trouble. However, God’s Word was faithfully preached, and the Sword of the Spirit caused young Sheffey to be convicted of sin that night and to trust Christ as Savior. God would take this young trouble-maker and use him as one of the most influential circuit-riding preachers of the 1800’s.
The power of God’s Word must never be taken for granted or underestimated. Whether we are preaching it, teaching it, quoting it, singing it, or testifying of it, the scripture will always do its work in the hearer. Jeremiah 23:28-29 reminds us, “And he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breath the rocks in pieces?”
Our words may or may not be remembered. You may say something so succinctly that your children will quote it to their children. Perhaps it may be quoted for generations or written in a book. But as powerful as our words are today — God’s Words are even more so, for they are eternal! Think about that! What you share with someone today from God’s Word will never return void. “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31). Do not underestimate the importance of taking time to let God’s Word minister to you today. Then, as it influences us, may we ask God to help us weave into our conversations that same Word so that it can change the lives of those around us. God’s Word can change the lives of others around you, and he promises that it will not return void – let’s share it today!