God Spoke and It Happened: The Power of God's Word

And It Was So

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In Genesis 1 the same thing happens again and again. God speaks, and what He says comes to be. God did not need a hammer, helpers or time. He only needed to speak.

“Then God said.” Every day of creation begins with God speaking (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24). Before anything is made, God's word goes out.

And it was so. After God speaks, the Bible says, “and it was so” (Genesis 1:9). Whatever God commands happens exactly the way He said it.

By His word. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6). Every star in the sky is there because God spoke.

He spoke. “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9). Stood fast means it stayed firm and did not fall apart.

From nothing. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Hebrews 11:3). God did not use old pieces of anything. His word brought brand-new things into being.

Still holding on. Jesus is “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). The same word that made the stars keeps them in place tonight.

God's word is good. Each time God spoke, the result was good (Genesis 1:31). God never says anything harmful or wrong. His words are always for our good.

God's word is true. People sometimes make promises they cannot keep. God's word never fails. If He said it, you can count on it.

God's word gives life. When God spoke, living things filled the seas, the sky and the land (Genesis 1:20-24). His word still brings life to people who hear it.

God's word is powerful today. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). When you read the Bible, you are reading the words of the same God who said, “Let there be light.”

Saying yes to God. Light, seas and stars cannot say no to God. People can, and sadly we often do. Saying yes to God's word is the wisest thing anyone can do.

What we learn. God's word made the world, holds it together and still speaks to us today in the Bible.

What to do. This week, read a short part of the Bible each day. Before you read, ask God to help you hear His word and obey it.

Genesis 1 shows God creating by speaking. His word is not a description of His work; His word is His work.

“Then God said” (1:3). In Hebrew this is vayomer Elohim (say: vah-YOH-mer el-oh-HEEM). God does not speak about creating. His speaking is the creating, and the result follows at once: “and it was so.”

Out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3). “The things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Before God spoke, there was no material to work with. Only the Creator can make something where there was nothing.

Psalm 33:6. “The word of the Lord” stands beside “the breath of His mouth.” Breath here is ruach (say: ROO-akh), the same word used for the Spirit in Genesis 1:2. Many Christians see the Father speaking, the Word going out and the Spirit at work together.

Psalm 33:8-9. Because “He spoke, and it was done,” the psalm calls all the earth to stand in awe of the Lord. Right worship grows out of knowing God as Creator.

Hebrews 1:3. The Son is “upholding all things by the word of His power.” Creation did not only begin by God's word; it keeps going by His word. Every sunrise depends on Him.

Isaiah 55:10-11. God compares His word to rain and snow that water the earth and make seeds grow. His word does not come back empty. It always does what He sends it to do.

Hebrews 4:12. God's word is “living and powerful,” and it is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word that formed the world also reaches into you.

Two responses. Light and stars obey God's word without question. In Genesis 3 the serpent leads Eve to doubt what God had said. Every person since has had to choose whether to trust God's word or doubt it.

Truth you can stand on. If God's word could call a universe out of nothing, then His promises to you are not weak. When He says He forgives everyone who confesses (1 John 1:9), that word is as solid as the ground under your feet.

A lamp for today. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The word that once said, “Let there be light,” now gives light for each step of your life.

Application. Read Scripture expecting God to speak. Obeying is the right answer to the God whose word made you.

The Word Became Flesh

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The God who spoke the world into being has spoken to us in the clearest way of all: through His Son. The Bible calls Jesus the Word.

In the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). John starts with the same words as Genesis 1:1.

The Maker. “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3). Jesus is not part of creation. He is the Creator.

Why the Word? Your words show what you are thinking. Jesus shows us exactly what God is like. When Jesus speaks, God speaks.

The Word came close. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Creator became a baby, grew up and lived with ordinary people.

Full of grace and truth. John says, “we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Grace means God's kindness we do not deserve.

Power over the storm. One night a storm nearly sank the disciples' boat. Jesus stood up and told the wind and the waves to be still, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39). The disciples wondered who He could be, since even the wind and sea obey Him (Mark 4:41).

Power over death. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Then He called His friend Lazarus out of the tomb with a loud voice, and Lazarus came out alive (John 11:43-44).

Light of the world. On the first day God said, “Let there be light.” Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

The Word on the cross. The Word who made the world let Himself be nailed to a cross to pay for our sins. Then He rose again, and death could not hold Him.

He still speaks. Jesus speaks to us today through the Bible. His words are true, and they lead us to life.

What we learn. Jesus is the Word of God. He made us, He came to us, and He speaks to us.

What to do. Read one story about Jesus each day this week. Look for what happens when Jesus speaks, and thank Him for speaking to you.

The God who created by His word has now spoken through His Son. John's Gospel opens by naming Jesus the Word.

Logos (John 1:1). Logos (say: LOH-gos) is the Greek for word. A word carries what is in a person's mind out to others. Jesus makes the invisible God known (John 1:18).

Three truths in one verse. “In the beginning was the Word” tells us He already existed. “The Word was with God” tells us He is a distinct person in close fellowship with the Father. And “the Word was God” tells us He is fully God.

John 1:3. “Without Him nothing was made that was made.” Everything that has a beginning was made through Jesus. He Himself has no beginning.

Dwelt (John 1:14). The Greek eskenosen (say: es-KAY-no-sen) means He pitched His tent. It recalls the tabernacle, where God's glory lived among Israel. In Jesus, God came to live among us.

Hebrews 1:1-2. God spoke long ago through the prophets, and in these last days He has spoken by His Son, through whom He also made the worlds. The Son is God's final and fullest word.

Creator authority (Mark 4:39-41). Jesus rebuked the wind and told the sea to be still. The wind stopped, and there was a great calm. The disciples asked who He was, since even the wind and sea obey Him. They were seeing the Creator's voice at work.

Life-giving voice (John 11). Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25). Then He spoke to a dead man, and Lazarus came out of the tomb.

John 8:12. “I am the light of the world.” The One who spoke light into the first darkness brings light to people who live in the darkness of sin.

The Word who died. The Creator took on flesh so that He could die for His creatures. Then He rose again, never to die again.

Words of eternal life. When many followers left Jesus, Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). No other voice can give what the Creator's voice gives.

Application. To know what God is saying, look at Jesus. Read the Gospels, listen to His words and obey them, because they are the words of your Maker.

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