Living and Effective Word

"Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

Prayer: Lord, may Your Word fall upon us like the morning dewfall, gently, but effecting great change, that we may grow and be changed, to know and love You ever more. That Your word may strengthen and nourish us in ways that Your life and love more fully live in us. Amen.

Living and Effective Word

Today the reading from Isaiah holds up for us and helps us to recall the beauty of the processes that nourish us. Our attention is drawn to the fertile and fruitful lands and the processes by which we receive our nourishment from the earth. That the water falls upon the ground in its many forms, interacts with the seed and soil to grow and produce an increase that then continues to nourish and sustain us.

With the process firmly in our mind, Isaiah goes on to hold up for us the beauty, power, and effectiveness of God's word: "So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it." That God's word is similar, that it nourishes us and that often the process by which we are nourished takes patience and time, just as the interaction of the water, the soil, and the seed takes time. Then in due time we are able to see and enjoy the fruit, some of which is then resown to continue this fruit bearing process. A key point is that this process reveals to us the beauty and the necessity of patience.

Our Psalm surfaces the challenges to the process of the word in us, that there are evil and distress in the world that complicate this patient and fruit bearing process. Yet at the same time, these challenges remind us that God can produce a richer harvest even from challenges. In times of distress, it can be hard for us to patiently endure the challenges that we feel. In moments where others injure us the wound is fresh, the pain is real. Our minds have a hard time not thinking about the hurt and who caused it. When it was their words, some cut deeply. We don't like having to be patient as the wound heals and we find forgiveness again in our hearts. This process is painful and distressing. Other distresses may be where we are placed in situations where we do not have ready answers, it is new and unfamiliar territory and being patient can be difficult because first we have to moderate the distress and anxiety we feel, then figure out what is it exactly that is causing the distress, and then figure out what is the corresponding information that we need to search and learn to move forward. When we go through this process of moderating distress and self-searching with God in prayer, we learn new things about God and ourselves. Sometimes the lesson is, yes the distress is real, uncomfortable and even painful, yet there exist many things that are greater than this discomfort and distress that we can simultaneously experience. A joy amidst the sadness.

Praying the Word Changes Us.

The prayer of the Our Father is beautiful in many ways. One is that it is the prayer given to us from the WORD of God. We are able to then take this word from The WORD and speak it back to God. Another beautiful thing is that it fixes the gaze of our attention on God the Father. We look to the Father and speak the words from the WORD. And these words remind us that The Father's name is hallowed, made holy in us. That The Father's name is so to speak, "written in us." That is why we can call on Him. We remind ourselves that we can trust in Him, that His will is greater, that He sees farther and better than us and yet He is there looking at us, helping us in our daily need. He is there to give us our daily bread. We are reminded that He nourishes us with Himself, with His presence, with His gifts of grace. And by patiently enduring the trials we face He will bring us through them in a way that will bear fruit.

And then at the end of the prayer we get the piercing lines that read, "And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 'If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.'" Giving us here the formula that ensures that His life and love live in us. That we are to forgive as He forgives. That we have to allow this process to produce its rich harvest within us. That we are comforted and nourished by Him, that we can be brought to the point where we moderate, distress and injury, to then in turn love more deeply like He does. Not that we forget and move on or deny the injury, but that we see the process of growth and renewal and see a greater fruit of love. That we see and experience the love in our lives that says, "You are worth more to me than your mistakes and failings." And then we too can see what is greater in others.

To be brought to this place means that we let the Word of God nourish us in all its ways over time, and through being with God as we patiently endure the trials of life, He produces an abundant harvest in us.

May God richly bless you!

-Fr. Jeremy

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