The Test of Time
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8
INSIGHT
These well-known words are from the prophet Isaiah. The entire chapter is all about the greatness of God. Isaiah wanted the people to look at the world around them as a reminder that everything on this earth will wither. There is no object or person on this earth, now or ever, that will be able to outdo time. But God and his word will stand forever.
God’s word does not come to us just on paper, but also in his Son, Jesus. For generations and generations, people had to hope they were near a prophet, or someone chosen by God to hear God’s word. But when Jesus stepped onto the scenes of history, he brought a direct line for people to hear the words of the Father.
The accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not folklore and fairy tales passed down through history; they are eye-witness accounts of a radical who claimed to be the Son of God and claimed to be love embodied. Yet, people like Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and so many others, decided that the radical who claimed to be the Son of God was worth following, and so they did. And as they did, I imagine they wrestled with every word he spoke.
Ultimately, the only reason the Scriptures are still distributed and read in 2022 is because Jesus pulled off what no other person could: he came back from the dead. Death is the end result of this life that is a withering and fading away, and Jesus overcame that. Jesus forever changed what it meant to live in this world because he took away the pain and sting of death itself. The account of Jesus and his influence on the world would only be good reading if death were the end of his story; yet his death and resurrection was the beginning of something brand new.
If you find yourself struggling with believing the entire Bible, know you are not alone. Even the most seasoned Jesus follower could admit that a “blind” belief to all of the Bible is not helpful. There are some moments in the Scripture that should make us wrestle and sometimes even struggle to believe. But a great way to start wrestling is by reading and studying those eye-witness accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Look at Jesus. Read his words. See his words in motion. And then wrestle the most important questions of all: if someone can predict their own death and resurrection, AND follow through it, might they be someone worth knowing and following?
REFLECTION
What does it mean that God’s Word stands forever?
If what Jesus said and lived is true and stands forever, what implications does that have for your life?
PRAYER
Father, I thank you for divinely preserving your words throughout history. Only you could orchestrate an impossible journey for these accounts and these testimonies. May we realize how much of a gift your words are to our soul. Let me hunger for your words, not just in the Bible, but from you directly. You and your words stand forever, and I need that reminder as I look at the finite world around me. I pray in your name, amen.