The Hammer Of God's Word

I sat at my desk early this morning like most for prayer and scripture reading. I am currently reading through the book of Jeremiah. God shattered my heart with His truth. Verse after verse brought wave after wave of new revelation and fresh conviction. 

Eventually God moved me to tears of repentance especially over these verses. 

Jeremiah 23:21-24 (CEB)
21 I didn't send the prophets, yet they ran anyway. I didn't speak to them, yet they prophesied anyway.
22 If they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people; they would have turned them from their evil ways and deeds.
23 The LORD declares, Am I a God who is only nearby and not far off?
24 Can people hide themselves in secret places so I might not see them? Don't I fill heaven and earth? 

In brokenness I saw how many times I've stood in the pulpit to preach and yet had not set in the council of the Lord to hear a fresh word from Him. I contented myself on preaching through books of the Bible and just studying the text. I did not wrestle with God to illuminate the scripture for me. My heart grieved for the number of times I stood up to preach only half truth because I've not received a fuller revelation of truth by sitting in God's council. 

I did my word studies. I did exegetical and hermeneutical work to faithfully expound the text. I did not always sit before the Lord as long as it took for Him to open the text and for Him to inspire my heart with a message. I did not always let the truth burn in my soul and move me first. 

I have preached and taught truth for decades. Thousands of times I have preached or taught. I patted myself on the back for faithfully expounding the word of God but that was not enough. There have been other times when truth burned in my heart like molten lava ready to erupt from a volcano. Those have been the times when I sat in God's council and His word ministered to my heart first. He revealed the truth. He birthed a message from Him for his people and not a sermon in those times. I am shamed that I would ever stand in the pulpit without having sufficiently sat in God's council to hear from Him clearly. 

I do not ever want to preach or teach any message again God has not first preached or taught to me as I sit in His council. I want to proclaim God's word with fresh anointing every time. I want to declare the whole counsel of God's word even when it is a hard word calling people to repentance. 

I am shamed that my too often casual approach to preaching could have furthered people down the path of rebellion and waywardness from the Lord. If I would have sat in God's council longer He would have revealed more truth to me and I would have preached with greater anointing. God would convicted people of their sinful ways and their sinful deeds. Shame on me for my sin. 

Is not my word like fire? saith Jehovah; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? [Jer 23:29] That is exactly what God did with the 23rd chapter of Jeremiah to my heart this morning. He burned my heart and shattered it like a rock being pounded by a hammer. 

I saw a mental picture of myself standing to peach with the foulness and vileness of raw sewage hanging off me visible only to God. Maybe the people did not see it or even detect it in the preaching. I guarantee the ones who truly walk with God did. God saw it and sees it. it moved me to a brokenness I have not experienced in a long time. My prayers today were prayers of repentance. 

How often have I stood before God and stood before the people having not sat in God's council until He spoke His words to me. Far too often I've not had a fresh word from the Lord to announce to His people. God's word obliterated my heart this morning. 

I thank God for the blessing of a shattered heart and for the blessing of His word that burns away the dross and hammers to shatter rock hard hearts like mine. 

O the horror of not sitting under God's words. We need that in our private times. Yet so many are so busy they never make time to sit in God's council to hear from Him. Many who do make time for scripture reading are in such a hurry. They are in such a hurry to get on with the rest of their day they do not linger with the Lord. They do not let the truth of God's word sink in, to burn away the dross of our lives or shatter our heart into repentance. We convince ourselves we do not have the time. We convince ourselves our shorty pithy devotion readings are enough. 

We live as if we can hide the secret chambers of our hearts and lives from Him. We act as if God is far away. He is near. He sees everything. He saw every single time I rushed through the process of message preparation and entered the pulpit with a sermon but not a message from the Lord. God saw the truth of each time I went in the pulpit with organized thoughts but I did not really have anything fresh from Him to say. 

God sees the truth of your lives. He knows whether the songs from our lips in praise match the reality of our hearts in true worship. He knows whether the outward appearance of righteous living matches the inner character and passion of our lives. 

PRAISE GOD FOR THE FIRE AND HAMMER OF HIS WORD. Praise God for leading me by the hand through the book of Jeremiah. Praise God for His conviction, His burning away, and for His shattering my heart like a rock. 

Don't we all need that? Don't we all need more than stale sermons. Don't we all need to hear fresh words from God that move us closer to His heart? Don't we all need time alone in the council of the Lord and His word to be renewed and transformed day by day. 

If you are stale in your devotions and only dutifully going through the motions I beg you to slow down and sit in God's council meditating on His truth. If you never do that repent and begin immediately. Let His word accomplish every purpose in your life He intends. 

Preachers. to the pit of hell with more sermonizing. Get alone with God and as you study the text and sit in His council until He opens the passage and gives illumination. Let Him reveal deeper truth in your heart and mind than you could ever discover on your own. Let God reveal truth He first preaches to you before you ever declare it to others. Even if that truth shatters your heart like a hammer pounding a rock.

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