Rooted in the Word

In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. Isaiah 4:2

            Anxiety and indifference seem to be engaged in a tug-of-war game around our community these days. The extremists in both camps look at each other with disdain and distrust as they freely criticize and mock each other. As usual, the majority of us are drifting somewhere in the middle ground as we seek balance in all things. While some of us may lean toward one extreme or the other, we also endeavor to think critically and to love our neighbors as Christ commands us to.

            Isaiah’s book begins the major and minor works of the Old Testament prophets who will call the nation to humility, repentance, and attentiveness toward the Lord’s priorities. Each prophet received scorn and rejection. The same prophets reminded the faithful and the foolish that the Lord God would prevail. Those courageous men were voices in the wilderness pleading for the people to prepare the way of the Lord. They reminded God’s people and the nation of the true nature of temporary human folly and the eternal holiness of the sovereign Lord.

            The prophets guaranteed that human vanity would be put down and God’s rule would prevail. Isaiah used the analogy of the branch as a way of describing how important it is to stay rooted in the Word of God. The Word of God is more than the Bible. It is best to think of the Word as the heart and mind of God. God is the source of the only trustworthy truths. God is the source of the only true love. God is the source of the only reality there is.

            It is tempting to think of our times and our worldly affairs as if they are highly significant. It is equally tempting to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. In either case, it is wrong to assume too much, since we are but a blade of grass, here today and gone tomorrow. Only God is eternal and constantly involved in the work of God’s hands – God’s creation and its creatures.

            Like the prophets, we are called to hear and speak the Word of God in truth and love. We are compelled to join God in all that God is doing in the world. Nevertheless, we must be willing to play small, seemingly insignificant roles. God requires that our implementation of God’s Word to be readily recognized in the small things that are witnessed by our fellow creatures in the little slice of creation that we occupy for a season.

            Through Jesus, Christ we are born again into an eternal life that is based in God’s timeless realm that is the true reality. We are asked to think eternally rather than temporally. We face trouble and ease with the same confidence that whatever happens here will be forgotten there. Therefore, use these times to consider your eternal nature and the promise of resurrection. Pray that the Lord will show you where He is at work around you so that you can join the Lord in it. You can effectively speak the truth in love in His presence and you can be His truth and love guided by His Spirit.