“All flesh is like grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of grass. And all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows on it. - Surely the people are like grass: The grass withers, the flower fades; But the word of our God stands forever…” In crying out these few words, the prophet Isaiah expresses the emptiness of human concerns, the ephemeral nature of human existence and the perpetuity of the word of God, the same word, according to Peter, which has been preached to us. The comparison is striking and calls for a response.
I believe it calls Christians to live with a lifelong obsession with the word of God—the written, preached, and spoken word. It is the word spoken by God that brought all that is into existence, it is the word spoken by God that sustains all that is, and it is the word spoken by God that is the foundation of our own lives. According to Hebrews, what is seen was made from what is invisible. Therefore we can conclude that whatever will be will also be from this invisible word, because every circumstance is subject to change; we simply need to understand the heart of God and know the word of God for each circumstance.
God speaks through His written word, God speaks through His Spirit in our hearts, through our circumstances, and so on, the important thing is that God speaks. And what He communicates is the final word on the situation, whatever it may be, and everything else must align with God's word. It is wisdom, then, to choose to honor the Father by honoring His word, by making reading the Bible a lifestyle. God said to Joshua, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth; but meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will prosper in what you do, and then you will have good results."
As we enter a new year, I pray that you will have the wisdom to make this story your own, that God's Word will not depart from your mouth and heart. It is as you immerse yourself in the written Word that you will be able to discern God's voice and follow His leading in the circumstances of your life. I would like to encourage everyone to make 2011 the year in which God's Word has a place of preeminence in your lives.
This is why we have chosen to dedicate New Year's Day to the Word of God*; we will spend time in prayer, in His presence, to listen to His heart and His direction for 2011. We are convinced that each person will be touched and will receive a word from the Lord that will be decisive for this year 2011. God honors those who honor Him, we begin the year by giving a place of preeminence to His Word.
Shalom
