God’s Word Always Accomplishes Everything He Intends

I LOVE GOD’S WORD. It is true. It is faithful. It is alive! It is powerful for changing our lives.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11-12)

I love this passage of Scripture. It is so good! In fact, you should just click on the reference, which takes you to the chapter, and read the whole thing. It will encourage your heart!

If you’ve spent any amount of time on my blog, you know that my posts are almost always chock-full of Scripture. There’s a reason for that.

The name of my blog, Sweeter Than Honey, comes from a verse in Psalm 119.

How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. (Psalm 119:103)

So it should be no surprise that the verses above are among my very favorites–especially verse 11. I want to share it with you in several translations.

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. (NLT)

So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (NIV).

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (NASB)

So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me void (useless, without result), without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.(AMP).

My word, which comes from my mouth, is like the rain and snow. It will not come back to me without results. It will accomplish whatever I want and achieve whatever I send it to do. (GW)

Gigi Graham Tchividjian, one of Billy Graham’s daughters, talks about God’s purposes and plans for our lives in her book, A Quiet Knowing. She tells this story.

One winter, in our home near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I was reading in my bedroom when I happened to glance out the window at our big oak tree, which was in the middle of our circular driveway. All of the leaves had fallen, but up in the top of its branches I saw a big bunch of ugly, brown leaves. I didn’t think that they looked very nice, but I didn’t se how I was going to be able to climb up there and pull them off. So I went back to reading.

A few months later, I was sitting by that same window and noticed that the big bunch of brown leaves in the old oak were gone and that in their place were new, bright green leaves. I hadn’t even noticed, but as the new life of spring began to flow through the tree and the new leaves began to sprout, the brown leaves just fell off all by themselves.

So it is in the Christian life. As we abide in Christ through prayer and Bible study and allow the sap of the Holy Spirit to flow through us, then our old habits, actions, and desires just fall off and are replaced by the fruit of the Spirit.1

Often I find myself focusing on a particular area of my life–unsatisfied with it. Wondering when I’ll ever get it together. Sometimes I look at my children’s lives and wonder the same thing. And … for those I share my faith with, who do not choose Christ, I wonder … Will they?

• The truth is, when we are in God’s Word, He will do the work.
• When I share my faith–God’s Word–with someone else, it will accomplish the purpose God intended.

That may mean an immediate change in my (or someone else’s) life. It might be the softening of my (or someone else’s) heart, preparing me (or them) to make the change God desires.

We certainly have personal responsibility as we respond to the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts. But as we are faithful to be in God’s Word, we can be sure He will use it to accomplish His purposes in our lives.

That’s important for me to know about myself. It’s equally (if not more so) important for me to know about my children. Each of us belongs to the Lord. We are His children. We are a work in progress.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13)

God’s got this. He’s got you. You can rest assured that … His Word “will accomplish whatever [He wants] and achieve whatever [He sent] it to do.”

1Tchividjian, Gigi, and Ruth Bell Graham. “Children of the Heavenly Father.” A Quiet Knowing. Nashville, Tenn.: W Pub., 2001. 20-22. Print.