Do you recognize these memorable words?
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
“Four score and seven years ago…”
“I think, therefore I am.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”
Words Change the World
Humans words have transformed us from hunter-gatherers to space explorers. Archeology, anthropology, and sociology have proven that cultures successfully develop only in the presence of a written language, where words can be written, reflected on, and learned from.
But as powerful and impactful as human words were and are today, each and every one of them pales in comparison to the power of the Word written by the Creator of all words, thoughts, intentions, imagination, humanity, and ultimately the universe.
Words of Men vs. Word of God
The Words of Men may not be dead, but their reach wanes with each passing generation like the ripple of water from a rock thrown in a pond. According to Hebrews 4:12-13, the word(s) of God are alive and active and their reach doesn’t diminish. Rather, they summon tidal waves of change within the heart of each and every man or woman who hear them.
The Words of Men rally the faint-hearted to live out a purpose greater than themselves. According to Ezekiel 37, the words of God revive the dead, infusing them with breath, light, and strength.
The Words of Men judge our actions, i.e., the American Constitution, and all our federal, state, and municipal laws. The Words of God cleave our actions from our intentions, exposing our thoughts and impulses that we shutter to admit even to ourselves.
The Words of Men call us to live nobly. The Word of God beckons us to think nobly (Acts 17:11), live purposefully (2 Corinthians 5:9), and die sacrificially (Luke 9:23-24).
In God’s Word, Less is More
There are 47 billion words published just in books every year, and researchers estimate that more than 76 trillion words fill the internet. I share the same compulsion other writers do to create words that are meaningful, change lives, and will leave a legacy long after I’m gone.
But as the original author of our operator’s manual, God gave us everything we need to live a life of godliness in a single book (2 Peter 1:3). And he did it more eloquently, more precisely, and more succinctly than we ever could (the NIV has approximately 740,000 words).
God’s Word Changed My Life
My life is a testament to the power of God’s words to transform a human heart. In 1996, I found out my first child was going to die in utero due to birth defects. I chose to believe God’s words in Romans 8:32 that if He did not spare his own son—Jesus—but gave him up for me, there had to be a greater purpose in my son’s death. So I chose faith instead of bitterness.
In 2000, my second son was diagnosed with autism at two-years-old, and I lamented my inability to bear a “normal” child. But I looked to Romans 8:28 and chose faith over fear because God promises that in all things, he works for the good of those who love him.
And when in 2011, when my Christian husband of 19 years, abandoned me to pursue the world, I chose faith instead of despair and divorce because Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
I put my faith in Luke 15 trusting my husband could be a prodigal son. I put my confidence in Isaiah 55:11 that says God’s words—planted in my husband heart for 20+ years—would not come back void.
I chose to believe that if Ezekiel 37, Matthew 28, and countless other scriptures in the Bible where God raised the dead were actually true—a conviction that is the very foundation of my Christian faith—then surely he could resurrect my marriage.
Sitting on God’s Shoulders
I owe God everything. The “Footsteps in the Sand” poem that is now cliché bathroom wall décor is fact for me. God carried me on his shoulders every single time I stumbled and fell with my face in the dirt.
His words were the arms that cradled me, the salve that healed me, the ears that listened to my anguish, the cup of grief that caught every tear, the voice that whispered I am loved, the hand that never let me go, and the strong tower that refused to let me give up.
God’s Word is everything to me, and I know with absolute certainty that I would have nothing and would be nothing without it.
What about you? How have you let God’s Word transform not just your thoughts but your actions and your character? If the scriptures have not been your foundation (Matthew 7:24-27), your food (Matthew 6:11), and your very air you breath from God (2 Timothy 3:16), I hope you will commit today to make it so.
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