“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 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.” (Isa 55:10-11).
It matters who says what. The origin of a word determines the power of that word. Peter’s response to the instruction Jesus had given him to launch into the deep for a catch, demonstrates this truth. The Bible says, “But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”” (Lk 5:5). The NIV renders it thus: “Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”” (Lk 5:5). Note the expression, “…But because you say so…”. Simon was going to let down the nets once again, following a fishing misadventure, only because Jesus had instructed him to do so. The outcome of his obedience to God’s word is recorded in the following words: “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” (Lk 5:6,7).
God draws a parallel between the action and effect of the rain and the snow that come down from heaven to the earth and the effect of His word on lives and situations. The point is that as the rain and the snow leave an indisputable evidence of their contact with the earth, so does God’s word, when it encounters a life or situation, leave an unquestionable imprint, as a proof of contact. God’s word has an inherent power for its own fulfilment. That was what angel Gabriel told Mary : “For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.” (Lk 1:37 AMP). The power of God’s word to make a difference in any life or situation can not be overemphasised. In fact, a major reason why many lives are in chaos is because, too often people have downplayed the potency of God’s word.
The Bible’s description of the condition of the earth after God created it is unappealing : “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Gen 1:2). However, some people can relate to that ugly situation because their lives mirror it; they live in formless, void and dark conditions. The invalid man of John Chapter five exemplifies this reality. His response to the question, ” Do you want to be made well? ” that Jesus asked him was, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” (vs7). It sums up the undesirable, but humanly hopeless condition of his predicament. He was a man who had no man—a dismal acknowledgement of his inability to help even himself. Someone always got into the pool ahead of him. How frustrated he must have been!
Thank God that His word, “…I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hos 6:6) is forever settled in heaven. Otherwise, the invalid man’s miserable situation would have been for life. Have you struggled frantically for human assistance without success? Have people promised you assistance, upon which you based your hope, only to become disillusioned after several such promises proved only as helpful as a drowning man’s grasp on straw for rescue? If that is the case, chances are that, like the invalid man, you are in a state of acute frustration. Remember, however, that though his miserable condition continued to worsen, God’s mercy located the invalid man, and ended his years of anguish. Just as in that man’s case, God wants you to experience His mercy.
A perennial sufferer tends to become so accustomed to the situation that he or she thinks a remedy will require the same amount of time to reverse the situation. Perhaps the foregoing reflects your sentiments about your experiences. Hence, it will interest you to note that, though Satan had afflicted the man for thirty-eight years, it took Jesus less than a minute to reverse the ugly trend, hallelujah! Jesus simply spoke the following words : “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” (Jn 5:8). The result was, “And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.” (Jn 5:9). Shalom.
