Words Matter to God

We know that God speaks to us. He spoke long ago. He spoke in the past. He speaks today. He will speak in the future. I believe the Bible, the Word of God, is the most important resource we have to discern if we are actually hearing from God or not.

We know that God speaks, and we also know that words matter to God.

If you look at the Bible, from the very beginning in Genesis 1, we see God cares about words. God could have created everything in silence, but he chose not to.

In Genesis 1, we see nine times, “And God said… And God said, and it was so. And God said, and it was so, and it was good.” Again and again, we see God creating everything we see around us. Light. Earth. Animals. Plants. Even humans are only created because God spoke.

One statistic says there are over 3,000 statements attributed to God himself in the Bible. Statements like “God said…” “Thus saith the Lord… The Lord said…” Three thousand statements in the Bible that are directly from God. This is the only religious book that claims to say the words of God, that God speaks. No other religious book claims that God speaks in this way and has his very words documented.

God is speaking words to us, words that matter. All throughout the Bible, the words of God matter.

To this day, the Bible is still the most printed book ever. The Gideon Society, Wycliffe, and the International Bible Society say over 168,000 Bibles are sold or given away every single day. Millions of copies are throughout the world, and it’s still being printed like no other. There is a power in this Word that all of us want, and some of us are afraid of, frankly. That’s with good reason.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Hebrews 4:12

The Word of God is alive. We serve a God who is alive. He’s not dead. He’s not distant. He is alive and so is his Word. It’s dynamic. It’s productive. It’s going to cause things to happen in us. It’s active. It’s not passive. It’s not something you just hear and ignore. You might read something, and maybe you don’t understand it or maybe it doesn’t really sink in, but I’ll tell you that Word is doing something in you even though you don’t know it.

It’s sharp. Not just sharp, but sharper than the sharpest of swords, a double-edged sword. Sharp. It cuts through. This is a beautiful image because it talks about being able to cut through soul and spirit. In the first century, there was this idea that we were one body, soul and spirit, and you could never separate these parts, but the Word of God can break through even the deepest part of ourselves.

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Hebrews 4:13

This phrase laid bare is quite a word picture. In fact, the word also meant how you would slaughter an animal, how you would lift up its head and cut the throat. The Word of God makes us deeply vulnerable, naked, and bare before God. Laid bare. Open. Vulnerable to whatever God has to do with us. Open to his mercy. It’s a little scary to know that. The Word of God can know that much about us and can cut right through all of our little defenses, all of our little lies, all of our darkness, and cuts right to the core and nails it.

We have to be in God’s Word, and we have to listen.

We have to listen with our hearts, and we have to listen with our minds, with our hearts open and our minds sharp. It’s okay to come to the Word of God with questions.

In fact, the Word of God is wanting us to do that. You can spend your whole life asking questions. It’s okay to come with your mind. Don’t turn it off. The Word is active and alive.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear [or reverence] of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.”

Psalm 19:17

All of this is referring to God’s Word which comes from the Lord. It’s not just saying that it’s perfect and has no errors. It’s saying it’s complete. Everything we need to hear from God is in the Word of God. Everything. It refreshes our soul. How many of us need to refresh our souls? This is where we must go to have our souls refreshed.

It’s trustworthy. It will make wise the simple. It’s right, giving joy. Not just a little happiness, but true and everlasting joy. It’s radiant, giving light and opening our eyes to see things the way God sees them, to see ourselves the way God sees us, and to see him better. It’s pure, which means it will endure forever. Nothing can corrupt it. Nothing can destroy it. It’s firm. We can stand on the Word of God, and it is good. It’s better than gold. It’s the most precious thing we can have.

“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

God’s Word is powerful. It does something in us whether we know it or not.

When I read the Word of God, it makes me so grateful for what it does in my life.

In Colossians, we’re told, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

I’ve been praying for you this week, that you fall in love with God’s Word, see its power in your life, understand it’s going to call you into action, and I know that’s what God wants for every single one of us.

Reflection

Spend some time in God’s word this week. Read a little or a lot, but try to read something of the Bible every day. If you want a daily devotional to help you get started, check out our free Psalms ebook here.