HE SENT HIS WORD

"He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions." (Psalm 107:20)

HOW ENCOURAGING are the words, "The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty" (Psa 29:4). His utterances are unparalleled, accomplishing His intentions. As it is written, "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Isa 55:10-11). God's people must learn to reckon on this reality. Believe it – a word from God can resolve any situation.

JUST AS A MAN does not live by bread alone, so he is not healed by medicine alone. Strictly speaking, it is the Lord, and Him alone, that heals "all our diseases" – the same God who also forgives "all our iniquities" (Psa 103:3). He can speak a word, and salt cast into defiled waters by a prophet can heal those waters, and they can become pure (2 Kgs 2:21). His word can be sent through a prophet, enabling him to cast some flour into poison stew, and it will be healed (2 Kgs 4:40-41). When Israel was thirsty and could only find bitter waters, the word of the Lord enabled Moses to see a tree, cast it into the waters, and they were healed (Ex 15:23-25). In all of these cases, God "sent His word and healed them."

THIS IS WHY for forty long years, not one garment of the Israelites waxed old, and not a foot swelled (Deut 8:4). Again, God testified, "And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot" (Deut 8:4; Neh 9:21). "He sent His word and healed them."

THE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS can calm the troubled soul. Our dilemmas can be solved with but a word from God. He can "command deliverance" for us (Psa 44:4), "command the blessing" (Psa 133:3), and command all creation to remain consistent (Psa 33:9). God is able! Our Lord Jesus declared, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Lk 18:27). There is no circumstance or period of time that can nullify that declaration. Situations may very well be a discouraging challenge to us, but they are no match for God. It just takes a word from Him to resolve them.

THE LORD CAN "speak peace unto His people" (Psa 85:8), calming their souls like Jesus calmed the raging winds and sea. Even a Gentile centurion saw this in Jesus. When a servant that was especially close to him was near death, he said to Jesus, "but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed" (Lk 7:7). The response of our Lord to these words confirms the blessing they were to Him. "When Jesus heard these things, He marvelled at him, and turned Him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel" (Lk 7:9).

THERE IS EVERY REASON to expect that a strong faith in our Lord will be rewarded. Our first recourse must be to Him, for it is God with whom we have to do. The only thing that will hinder His working toward us is unbelief. He will always honor faith – faith that does not stagger at the promises of God. Whether it is healing of the body, healing of the soul, or healing of food and water, it only takes a word from the King for it to be done. I ask you, is that not a great comfort to the soul? And does it not open the door of hope?

– Given O. Blakely