We hear all the time that we need to be in God’s Word every day. But why? What is its purpose? What’s in it for the reader? I believe that Isaiah 55:10-13 sheds light on just this very thought.
Isaiah 55:10-13
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 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.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
One of the Bible’s most incredible promises is found here in verse number 11. It says that God’s Word will never return void or empty anytime it is taught, preached, or proclaimed! On the contrary, the Scripture says that it will accomplish what God pleases. In other words, God’s Word will fulfill God’s purpose! Think of it this way: every word in the Bible has an assignment. There isn’t one word throughout Scripture that is useless or wasteful because God has a reason behind every single word!
This should beg the question: what is its purpose? What is the purpose of the Word of God? Read verse 13 again. “Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
Verse 13 gives us this really bizarre word picture, doesn’t it? It says that the rain (that is the Word of God) waters the thorns or briers and what pops up? Bigger thorn and brier bushes? Nope! Fir and myrtle trees! You don’t have to have a green thumb to know that’s not normal!
If you get a thorn bush in your backyard and water it, you should expect to get a bigger thornbush! But that’s what is different about the Word of God and its nourishment. When we are watered by the Word of God it seeps in and we are changed to something totally different. The Word of God is not meant to make us better versions of ourselves. Oh no. It is meant to totally change us from the inside out!
The epistles, prophecy, the historical accounts found in Scripture are not an end in and of themselves. The Bible’s wisdom literature isn’t just full of “nice sayings and poems”. When The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to fundamentally change us from the inside out.
Do you want to see spiritual change in your habits, your thinking, your relationships, your family dynamics? Dig deep into the Word of God daily and “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.” The Spirit of God is waiting to use the Word of God to transform who you are into what He wants you to be, and that’s more like Christ!