Power of the Word

WITH the widespread exchange of text messages everyday, it has become quite common to receive quotable quotes from friends every now and then. Quotes from great philosophers, and thinkers, poets and essayists, politicians and statesmen, movie writers and humorists. But how about quotes from the Lord? Yes, of all the quotations I receive, I treasure most those words coming from the greatest book ever written -- the Holy Bible.

Often defined as the collection of the words of God which were written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Bible is no ordinary book. Using historical narratives, wisdom and poetic writings, prophecies, epics, allegories, biographies, teachings, parables, epistles and the like, the Bible reveals the mind of God as expressed in words that we humans understand.

Yet these words that we read in the Bible are not simple words. On the contrary, they are powerful words emanating from the all-powerful, omniscient and omnipresent author who is no other than God himself.

It is by God’s words that all created things in heaven, on earth, and in all the vastness of the universe came into existence. Genesis narrates that when God says something, it surely comes to pass. In six days, God created the light, the sky, the land, the sun, the moon, the stars, all animals and plants, and finally, the man and the woman. How did God accomplish all of these? By the power of his word.

In the same vein, God’s words established the natural laws. In his sovereignty, the same words suspend these natural laws and put into motion the supernatural, thereby producing miracles. It was by God’s words that Egypt experienced its plagues -- blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and death of all first-born (see Exodus 7-11). It was by God’s words that the Israelites were set free from Egyptian slavery, crossing on dry ground over the sea.

And then it was God’s words that sustained the Israelites in their 40 years in the desert -- fed with manna and quail from heaven and drinking water from the rock. The listing in the Old Testament can go on and on -- with the common theme of God, directing the course of human history.

In the New Testament, we see the Word of God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who represents everything that the Father was, is, and will be. We see Jesus proclaiming the gospel in word and in deed -- forgiving sins, restoring lives, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, rebuking the wind and the sea, walking over the waters, and conquering death. All these done in the power of God’s words.

And so, the next time you see your Bible, I invite you to open its pages and read it. There is power in God’s words. Let us remember: “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

God himself guarantees their results. He said, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-15).

Let us then read our Bible. In its pages we will find the greatest love story ever told… a love story that unleashes the power to live the full life, not only in this world but in all eternity.