By Simone Gregor –
Words are important to me. I collect the ones I love, and also have an unwritten list of the words that give me a scratchy feeling (we can discuss whether or not this is weird another time). In my attentiveness to words, and how they’re used, I’ve noticed that sometimes they lose the gravity of their intended meaning. They’re used generically, dispensed flippantly or received nonchalantly – maybe because we’ve worn them out through using them without their intended significance too many times?
In contrast to this, God’s words hold gravity. He so much wanted for us to know the truth of His words with our hearts that He sent His son Jesus as the embodiment of the promises He had made. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’ [John 1:1]. Translated to Greek, ‘Word’ used in the context of this scripture, is ‘logos’, which means reason or discourse, and this word was also used to refer to Jesus. Reason became real when Word became flesh. Sending Jesus to us was God’s extremely personal way of initiating a divine conversation with the world.
We get to be part of the divine conversation because Jesus died for us, securing for us irrevocable communion with the Father. Jesus spoke of this permanence when He said that although heaven and earth will pass away, His words would never do so [Mark 13:31]. They remain for eternity – unchanging and true amidst the ever-changing, finite reality we currently find ourselves in.
In His words, there is purpose. He spoke the earth into being, and with that same breath, spoke the eternity-securing promises that were brought to life in flesh by Jesus. We can trust that His words aren’t empty promises: “…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” [Isaiah 55:11]
I love that God’s words to us are deeply personal, and He speaks to us through His Word in a way that appeals to our hearts. Infused with power and holy Hope, His words reshape and strengthen our hearts to give us an even better idea of His love for us. With His words, our reality is reconstructed to reflect a heavenly reality – God’s intended design. By knowing and loving His words, and letting them speak to our hearts, we will learn new things about God, His plans for us, and those around us.
May the words of the One who authored the story of eternal life be your joy, and strengthen your Hope in Him.
Picture by Paballo Thekiso