God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)
Throughout Scripture we see the Bible testifying of the generating power of God's Word. Beginning in Genesis 1 we read that God spoke this world into existence creating life out of darkness. In Ezekiel 37 we have the fabulous vision where the Prophet is called to preach to the dry bones and through the preaching of God's Word, God's Spirit would bring deadness to life. This is how God gives us spiritual life. This is how God takes spiritually dead corpses and regenerates them through the teaching of His Word. 1 Peter 1:23, 'For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God' (cf. Jas. 1:18). In Romans 10 the familiar verse says 'faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ' (Rom. 10:17). That is why Paul told the Corinthians, 'God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe' (2 Cor. 1:21b; cf. 1 Cor. 1:17; 23; 9:16, 18; 15:11).
Let all true Christians remember, that their best things are yet to come. Let us count it no strange thing, if we have sufferings in this present time. It is a season of probation. We are yet at school. We are learning patience, gentleness, and meekness, which we could hardly learn if we had our good things now. But there is an eternal holiday yet to begin. For this let us wait quietly. It will make amends for all. “Our light affliction which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17).
