By Dr. Judith Coats
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent—Eleanor Roosevelt
If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything—Mark Twain
In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on—Robert Frost
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe—Einstein
When God closes a window, He opens a door. Or is it when God closes a door, He opens a window.
All of these sayings are thought-provoking but little more than that. Okay, isn’t the pen mightier than the sword (another saying)? But seriously, what words guide your life? What words drive you forward? What words help you overcome fear? What words set guilt aside? What words mend relationships? What words cut to your soul? What words heal you in your grief?
Remember this verse? 12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires (Hebrews 4:12 NLT).
Recently, I had the epiphany, or the awakening, to the fact that I don’t think Christians truly understand the power that is in the Word of God. It appears that we rank the Word of God alongside cute sayings from Facebook, the words from a current song on Christian radio, the sage words from a neighbor that we admire, or simply our own opinion or summation of what we think we should do. Please do not get me wrong: words that are kind or appropriate or well-intended do some healing on their own. But they do not measure up to the power of the word of God as expressed in Hebrews 4:12. Many commentaries mention that the unique power of the word of God is in its ability to reach the heart—therein we find the super-power to change the innermost man or woman.
Recently, we took a vacation to Denver. On our way, our truck caught on fire right at an exit to Lincoln, Nebraska. We had to rent a minivan for the rest of our 2-week trip to see our family. Upon our return to Lincoln to pick up our truck to make the eleven-hour drive home to Wisconsin, I suddenly became paralyzed by fear. I could not bear the thought of getting back into the truck for fear of another fire. I began to process this fear in light of the word of God. All of the encouragement and positivity from my husband was fine, but the word of God strengthened my heart to trust in Him no matter how the truck performed on the way home (I quoted Proverbs 3:5 and 6; Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 139). My heart was at rest; the word of God changed me from tense and distress-filled to peaceful.
I just wanted to get us to think: Do we fully realize where the greatest word-power comes from, and do we know the word of God well enough to tap into an immediate heart-mending source?
