Refreshing

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul." Psalm 19:8

I remember when my mom was sick, and she had just received the diagnosis that she had tongue cancer. The prognosis was not good, and her spirits were down. I read to her from the Bible, and after a while she told me she felt better. Then there was a time I was tasked to keep the elderly mother of a friend company while brothers and sisters were busy painting the downstairs of her home. She was quite anxious and visibly agitated as her home had been damaged by a recent flood. I read to her from the Psalms as she lay in bed, and she became calm and asked me to continue to read to her. 

I am a great believer in the power and efficiency of God's Word. "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) In Isaiah 55:11, we read, “...so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD,  and like a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29) 

Lord, may the words I speak line up with Your Word. May I use Your Word like a tool to break down barriers, to make the impossible possible. Yes Lord, refresh and renew me every day with Your Word!