We see from the previous chapter the commitment we should make toward the Word of God. But what about God? What commitment has He made concerning His Word?
One of the commitments God makes, pointed out in Isaiah 55:11, is in the form of a promise. He promises that His Word will accomplish that which He pleases, and it will “prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
This is an exciting concept for us, especially when we consider the verse from Psalm 107:20, “He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions.”[1]
Additionally, Jesus is referred to as the Word of God.[2] John 3:16 says that God gave Him, while John 3:17 says that God sent Him. Through His mercy and grace, God regained for the human race a hope for rescue, and by putting faith in this sent One, we find eternal life. God has significant and glorious purposes in sending His Word, of which we are the beneficiaries.
As significant as this purpose sounds, we must consider something notably distressing. We cannot afford to miss an important issue. This matter must be scrutinized using Isaiah 55:11.
Yes, the promise is definite and clear. God has glorious purpose in the sending of His Word to the human plantings of this earth. The promise includes both His pleasure and our prosperity. This is the best of win-win situations: a smiling God shadowing a truly fulfilled and effective people.
However, vital to this process is the return of God’s Word. Verse 11 says it will “not return void.” But it is entirely possible that God’s Word may not return at all and thereby fall short of fulfilling the purposes God intended when He sent His Word in the first place.
The sending of God’s Word is one thing—returning it is quite another.
Let me repeat Isaiah 55:10-11 again. Please don’t skip over it. Read every word. Notice what I’m noticing.
“10 For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And water the earth,
And make 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 goes forth from My mouth;
It shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
In case you didn’t notice, I omitted a line from each of the two verses. Yet, most people understand it this way. And it seems to read just fine. It makes good sense even after the omission. Go ahead, read it again.
But something extremely vital is missing. What did I leave out?
Unfortunately, it is the very thing that most Christians leave out.
I left out of verse 10 “and do not return there.” I left out of verse 11 “it shall not return void.” I omitted the return concept. And in spite of how very well the verse reads without it, if water does not return through plants to the sky, then we all die of starvation because there will be no plant life. If God’s Word does not return through our prayers, intercessions, declarations, and confessions, we are no different than the painted peony bush—full of water and dying.
The keyword and the real issue in both verses is the word return. Without it, all plantings on this earth, including us, are ineffective and fruitless.
Until His Word returns to Him, He has very little to work with as it pertains to the people to whom He sent His Word in the first place.[3] God has taken the responsibility to send it with the mandate that we take the responsibility to return it.
Imagine a multi-millionaire friend sending you a check for one million dollars with an accompanying letter that says, “If you will make arrangements to have this check returned to my bank, the total dollar amount of this check will be deposited in your account.” You would get excited, right?
However, what if you put the check in your wallet and did nothing with it. You could have pleasant thoughts about how rich your millionaire friend is and even contemplate how generous your millionaire friend is to give you part of what is his. You could celebrate the millionaire’s kindness and mercy every day of your life. You might even start a club where people who have been given or have won large amounts of money could fellowship together and share their stories at weekly meetings.
Not until you return that check to the originating bank, though, will the million dollars become a reality to your life. Until you act, your inaction makes the million dollars as good as void. In reality, it is not void; your friend has plenty to cover the check. It is real. But it is not yet real to your experience because you fail to return it.
In like manner, God’s Word and the accompanying promises are real, they are not empty or without power. But if we do not return God’s Word by speaking it boldly in prayer, then our inactivity makes it as good as void.
If we do not embrace the responsibility to return God’s Word to Him, it would be the same as if God’s Word was without power. Therefore, we must commit ourselves, through prayer, declaration, and confession, to make sure it is returned to heaven—the place of origination—and let God fulfill the promise that it will not return void, but will accomplish that which pleases Him.
I believe most people think that the main issue of Isaiah 55:11 must be that God’s Word is not void or without power. That the Word of God is not void is certainly true, but they miss the return concept. Of course, it’s not void, but that is not the question. The question is, “Will God’s Word return?” It is upon the return of God’s Word that God begins to show His commitment and His power to people who exercise the kind of faith that speaks.[4]
Since water and God’s Word have an analogous relationship, let me ask, “Is water dry?” No, of course not. Now let me ask, “Is God’s Word void?” Same answer, of course not. Water is what it is. God’s Word is what it is. They both are incredibly powerful. But neither water present inside a plant nor God’s Word present inside a human plant assures growth and yield. The water and the Word must exit from stomata and return to their origination. Then and only then do we see the power of both become a reality.
Water inside a leaf whose stomata have been glued shut by a coat of paint is not less powerful, but that is not the point. Plants do not yield results because water has been sent or because they possess a great quantity of it. They yield results and change our world because the water, which has been sent and which flows into plants, makes an exit and returns to the sky.
And the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.[5]
[1] God’s Word is not only sent so that we might return it in prayer and declaration, but it is also sent to provide wisdom for daily living. Being healed supernaturally by a healing Savior is to be appreciated and embraced as much as giving ourselves to stewardship issues that demand we take responsible care of our bodies.
[2] John 1:1, 14
[3] Psalm 78:41
[4] 2 Corinthians 4:13
[5] James 5:16
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