10 For
as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither,
but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give
seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my
word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but
it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
Here Isaiah compares the word of God to
rain in order to show how the word of God works in our lives. We see the rain come down and hit the
ground, but we are not usually watching to see it soak in. We don’t see how it nourishes sees and
roots and how it helps plants to grow.
And the positive effect of rain on plants is not immediately visible; it
takes a little time to see wilty plants perk up or seeks sprouting, but it is effective.
In the same way, when we teach gospel
principles or when we see gospel principles taught, we don’t always get to
see it penetrate a heart and inspire a person to change their life and
repent. We don’t see who is
impacted or to what extent. Rarely
do we get to see signs this is happening, nor does it happen all at once. However, it does work. It works in
our lives, if we let it, and it will work in others’ lives. And I suppose that even if the harvest
is not entirely what we would expect, the harvest will be what God intended.
I think Isaiah was inspired to give
this principle to people who were so impatient to see results of their
preaching that they got discouraged if listeners didn’t immediately change in
the way they wanted. With that
kind of attitude, if immediate change is not seen, one tends to start believing
that the word of God is not effective at all, that it “returns void” of
results. Isaiah assured his people
(and us) that the word of God is
effective, but takes time and patience, that it works where we can’t see, and
it does what God pleases, not
necessarily what we please.
Of course the other principle that complements this one is agency. Everyone gets to choose to follow the
Lord or reject His influence. Everyone
gets to discover the consequences of their choices. One of the major purposes of the Lord’s word is to make us
aware of our choices, to bring to our attention the best possible choices along
with the eternal blessings in the hopes that we will choose His way. Another purpose of the Lord’s word is
to remind us that it isn’t too late to be redeemed by Christ’s power, nor is it
too late to repent and make better choices. Those purposes are always fulfilled, even if a person makes the
wrong choice.
No matter how far down we fall, there is always a part of us
that yearns to be obedient to the Lord’s word. The Holy Ghost speaks directly to this part of us. Following is the challenge of a lifetime.
What good choice are you going to make or what change are you going to make in your life today because of the word of the Lord that was sent to you?
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