Isaiah 55:10-11
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;” vss. 10-11a
All of us would probably agree that there is power in words. We see them hurled back and forth on the national scene, tweeted and published in a never-ending stream. We use them to belittle our enemies and lift up our friends. Often these words are quick hitting and shallow, chosen for shock value and immediate effect, with little concern for long-term consequences. The prophet Isaiah focuses on the power of a particular word, the one that issues forth from the mouth of God, and he describes it by comparing it to rain and snow. This word, which we also know as the word of grace that became incarnate in Jesus, has creative and fruitful power. It seeps gently and deeply into the core of our being and daily provides the nourishment for our fruitful and productive living. Without this loving word our lives remain a barren and unproductive landscape. With it, our lives become lush plantations filled with all the fruits of the Spirit. We hear this word from the mouths of preachers and friends, see it in the lives of saints, and read it in our scriptures. Ultimately we learn to speak it, and can even become for others, a source of Living Water.
Thought for the Day: What word has produced the most fruit in me?
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