Day 6: Will never fail
“For no word from God will ever fail” (Luke 1:37).
"Go and look towards the sea," [Elijah] told his servant... "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back" (1 Kings 18:43).
O Sovereign Lord, the angel Gabriel knew for a certainty that no word from God will ever fail. His assurance came from knowing You — from stand[ing] in the presence of the Lord (Luke 1:19), from being a witness to Your glory, an observer of Your righteousness, a worshipper of Your majesty.
You constantly draw us into those spaces of intimacy, into relationship with You— into the understanding that comes from knowledge of the Holy One (Proverbs 9:10). And You show us examples of others, like Elijah, who have walked the path of faith.
Lord, You build our faith as You did Elijah's, proving Your faithfulness with the truth of every word, the fulfillment of every promise, and the supply for every task. You are with us in the difficult test, when we are small, and the world is large and powerful, and the message is daring and unwelcome. You teach us by Your faithfulness to rely on the surety of the word of the Lord... whom I serve... (1 Kings 17:1).
You provide, You nurture, You nourish and You sustain us by Your natural and supernatural channels of Providence — causing us to eat from the unlikeliest of supplies; opening brooks bubbling with blessings; providing water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (1 Kings 17:2-16; Isaiah 43:20).
And at each step You build our reliance on Your word as we see every promise fulfilled in keeping with the word of the Lord (1 Kings 17:16). You show us the power of Your word in triumph and in fear — in the fire on the mountain, and the whisper in the cave (1 Kings 18:38, 19:11-13).
O Father, may we listen, hear You, know You, and increase in faith as Elijah did! The apostle James holds him up as an example of unshakeable faith expressed in earnest prayer:
Do you remember Elijah? He was a man like us but he prayed earnestly that it should not rain. In fact, not a drop fell on the land for three and a half years. Then he prayed again, the heavens gave the rain and the earth sprouted with vegetation as usual (James 5:17 Phillips Translation).
The apostle Paul told the Roman believers that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:13 -NKJV). In the context for his statement, Paul was referring to hearing the gospel message of salvation.
But it is also clear from Scripture that the faith that comes by hearing the word of God continues to grow in the lives of Your people as we listen, and hear, and know, and trust in You. Draw us into that deep union — into that place of standing in the presence of the Lord (Luke 1:19) — where we can worship Your majesty, witness Your glory, and know with unshakable certainty that Your word will never fail (Luke 1:37).
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