The Living Word

 

I wouldn’t say I was surprised, but I would say I was amazed. In fact, I’m always amazed when it comes to the power of God’s Word. It’s one of the many reasons I continue to believe in its truth after a lifetime of trying to follow what it has to say.

Last week I finished leading a three-month study of my first book, A Faith of a Different Color: Honest Lessons on Trusting God in Real Life, with 15-18 other women. Although I have led this same study at two other churches, this latest timeframe was the first time I have led it at my current church.

The book is a practical look at how to trust some of God’s characteristics on a daily basis, and it grew out of a painful and difficult time in my own spiritual walk that lasted many years. The book is filled (some might say over-filled!) with Bible verses to look up and ponder in our quest to trust God fully, along with personal stories representing each aspect of God’s work in our lives.

So here’s the amazing part: the group of ladies in my latest study ranged from young mothers to middle-aged women to senior citizens – and included brand-new Christians, seasoned lifelong followers, and everything in between. And yet the overwhelming takeaway at the last meeting was that God had used his Word to speak directly into each person’s life through this study, meeting each woman exactly where she was at in this season of her life. And that’s what only God is able to do.

I have read a lot of really great books in my lifetime, and many have taught me important things about God. But if I read any of them over and over, they would lose their ability to hold my interest or change my life. Not so with God’s Word. Verses I might have read thirty years ago or more can take on new meaning in my present life as the Spirit of God does his work behind the scenes and in my heart.

I’ve been experiencing this my whole life, so I don’t know why I still am amazed. Maybe because this ability to enlighten can only come from God. And maybe because every time it happens I am encouraged and spurred on to continue to “work out” my walk of faith as God “works in” me for my growth and his glory (Philippians 2:12-13). I know I can trust him fully and rely on his Word completely to finish the good work that he began in me so long ago (Philippians 1:6). Amazing, but definitely true.