Every word God speaks contains the power to create whatever He says. When He created the world, He simply said, ‘Let there be’ and it existed. And every word of the Bible has the power to change and grow us. Hebrews 4:12 says, ‘For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’ (NIV). But God’s words to us aren’t just written in the Bible. We have the amazing privilege of hearing God speaking personally to us. He can speak in many different ways. It may be through another person, a picture, or even a prophecy. The more we get to know His voice, the easier it is to recognise when He’s speaking to us. When God speaks something over us, it can be easy to start to doubt it when nothing seems to be happening. We question whether we really heard God. We wonder if He really meant what He said. But in Isaiah we’re told that His words will ‘not come back empty-handed’. They will achieve their purpose. God doesn’t say things just for the sake of it; there is meaning and life in every word. Every promise He makes will be fulfilled. The Bible says: ‘For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV). It may not be in the timeframe that we want or expect, but we can trust that His words are true and accurate. When God speaks we need to listen. We need to hold on to the words He has said, and believe that He will do what He has said He’ll do.
