“Then Elijah came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” – I Kings 19:9
I was struck by two consecutive phrases in this verse: “the word of the Lord came to him” and “He said to him.” It hit me that I tend to think of “the word of the Lord” as – well – words. You know – text on the page or a sound in my ear. This is understandable, since the #1 way that God speaks His word into our lives is through the Bible – printed words on the page.
But here, the Bible reminds us that God’s word is different. God’s word is a Person, as we see so clearly in the beginning of the gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). That is why this verse can put these phrases together: “the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him…” God didn’t speak from someplace far off. He didn’t send a letter or a text message or an email. When the word of the Lord came, He came as a Person to talk to Elijah.
Here’s the takeaway: when you read your Bible today, picture Jesus sitting with you, speaking the words to your heart. Because that’s what’s happening. When you listen to Christian music or hear a sermon founded on the Truth, realize that the Truth himself is conversing in person with you. When you read good Christian teaching, when you watch a powerful God-honoring video on YouTube, when you are talking with a friend who gives wise, godly counsel – remember that you are not alone. Jesus is the Word that is being spoken, and He is with you.
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