"...he sustains all things by his powerful word."As a church we've been reading The Story, which is the narrative of the Bible compiled into a novel. If you ever want to read the story of the Bible from beginning to end; The Story is a great place to start.
Hebrews 1:3 is about so much more than the Bible. It is about the story that God is telling; in the beginning of that story God calls matter into existence. God calls humans into existence "in his own image" and then another story teller enters the picture; a talking snake. The talking snake tells a story that opposes God's story - in God's story people are complete; created in God's image. In the snake's story - people need to just do one more thing in order to be complete.
And so we live in a world of two competing stories. One that says that you were created by love and for love, another that says if only you had such and such and so and so and then you'd be complete.
Words are powerful. I long to tune my mind in to the 'sustaining' word that God speaks. Rather than the destructive word which the snake speaks.
This week our journey through the Bible brought us to a conflict between Hezekiah (King of Judah) and Sennacherib (King of Assyria). Confronted by the words of Senacherib in the form of a letter Hezekiah "spread it out before the LORD" (2 Kings 19:14), and prayed about the threats he had received. God answered Hezekiah's prayers.
Words are powerful.
My calendar is filled with words that will materialise into meetings and appointments; there are blank spaces where words will be inserted. Crises will come up; challenges will need to be faced. I will speak words; I will hear words. I will receive letters and emails.
It seems like a good idea at the beginning of the year to spread them all out before the Lord. And pray that in the chaos of destructive words I will able to hear and articulate the sustaining word of God.
