Hi, this is pastor Ken and these are my thoughts on a Thursday…the sound of power…
Many of you know that this is my favorite season of the year. Spring is full of promise! There is very little that happens naturally speaking during this season that I don’t like. Even rainy spring days seem to drip with hope. Though I even enjoy those, the best ones in my humble opinion are the warm sunny ones. I find the ones that are warmer than we should expect, that are bright with sunshine and where white billowing clouds burst forth upon the clear blue sky are the absolute best! There is nothing quite like it to fill one’s senses with joy. A willing mind will on one of those days slip unencumbered into a heart of worship for the God who created it.
Another reason I like those particular kind of days is because before long if you pay attention and listen you will hear the sound of power. The sound of two, four or sometimes even six cylinders releasing their throaty growls from the chrome plated trumpets pointed toward the direction from whence they have come. Those cylinders roaring from atop two wheels, working their way to a crescendo before changing gears and growling yet again is music to my ears. I have ridden motorcycles all of my life. As a child I would climb on behind my dad, put my arms around his waist, interlace my fingers and hold on. Even then I loved the sound of power exiting the machine propelling me into the wind! At the tender age of 12 my dad taught me to drive those two wheeled vehicles of unending vitality and I have been hooked ever since. A couple of years ago I decided my version of the sound of power needed some help and with the installation of a new set of trumpets…much louder than the stock ones of course…I smile like the 12-year-old all those years ago every time I light the fire within the engine. Yes, I love the sound of power, and I love spring because in part it means the return of that sound to the landscape.
You know what else has the sound of power? So much so that it makes the exhaust pipes of my motorcycle seem like the meek whimper of a newborn puppy? Hebrews 4:12 in the New King James Version says; For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God’s Word has the sound of power because it is all powerful. It has ability and authority beyond anything else in all of His creation. It was in fact the sound of that all-powerful Word that spoke all of creation into its very being. There was the spoken Word that brought it all about, and there is also the written Word that is referenced in this verse. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit utilizing the hand of man it was recorded literally through the ages from Moses to the Prophets, to the Apostles as well as unnamed others. This written word that we have available to us in such great supply is no less powerful than those utilized to speak the cosmos into existence. This scripture tells us of the Word’s power to change our lives by cutting away that which is not like the ultimate Author and leaving behind that which can be transformed and developed to reflect Him better. One of my favorites, 2 Timothy 3:16 in the New International Readers Version states that scripture as follows; God has breathed life into all of scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right. God’s written word has the same potential for the sound of power in our lives as did His spoken Word at creation.
There is also the unknown and yet to be known Word of God and its sound of power lacks for nothing in comparison to the two others noted above. In Isiah 55:11 it is recorded that God said to the prophet of His all-powerful word concerning His will; 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. We don’t always have the inside knowledge of what those words are, but we do have the assurance that because they are spoken with the highest sound of power they will be accomplished. What God speaks, He speaks into existence, reality has no choice but to comply with His ultimate will. What God’s will dictates, will happen with the same certainty that creation has happened and the same power will have propelled them both forth. Finally, let scripture point out this attribute of the ultimate authoritative sound of power that is the Word of God. Psalm 119:89 resounds the truth of God’s Word, whether His creative Word, His recorded, inspired written Word, or the known and as yet unknown Word indicating His will, all of it, Every Word. Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. The Word of God is the incredible supreme sound of power that will never ever fade away.
So as spring has come yet again offering us all the hope of the newness of life enjoy the warmth of the days. And as the days become warmer and warmer you will undoubtedly hear more and more of those iron horses galloping over the open roads. As you do let their sound of power remind you that you are connected to, changed by, and in love with, the sovereign and supreme sound of power…The Word of The Most High!
So now, listening always for His sound of power in your life…Go be awesome!