Speak Out - The Word Is Alive

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any twoedged sword, and piercing as far as the division of the soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the
heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

A few months ago, I started volunteering in the Emergency Room at a hospital near my home. I thought it would be a fun and exciting thing to do, and I haven’t been disappointed. I didn’t expect, though, that I would have the opportunity of working with a Muslim girl just a few years younger than me. As the weeks went by and we gradually got to know each other better, she started sharing more and more about her personal life, such as family problems and hard decisions she was trying to make. Soon, we got on the topic of religion.

I have always prayed that God would give me chances to share His Word with others, and He blessed me with another opportunity in the hallway of the ER of this hospital. My Muslim friend started telling me how her father wanted the family to take a trip to Mecca. As I asked her questions about her Muslim faith, she told me the things one must do to be good enough to make it to heaven. Then, curious of what I believed, she asked what the “three Gods thing” was, meaning the Trinity, and why we thought Jesus was so important. This gave me the open door to share with her who Jesus was as the Son of God, and what He has done in my life, saving me from the penalty of all my sins.

She thought it was cool that I believed in God, but was very strong in her Muslim convictions. I shared a few verses with her, but she didn’t seem to really realize the impact Jesus, being true God, made by dying on the cross and rising again. In fact, she said Jesus was just a prophet, a very good man. As I left that night at the end of my shift, I felt hopeless. I started to question myself, “Did I say anything right? She didn’t seem to grasp the importance of what I was saying at all! She had grown up in a strict Muslim family her whole life. How will her heart ever change?”

As I drove home with a heavy heart, the song “The Word is Alive” by Casting Crowns came on the radio. God must have known what I needed to hear! The chorus of the song says, “The Word is alive, and it cuts like a sword through the darkness with a message of life to the hopeless and afraid, breathing life into all who  believe. The Word is alive, and the world and its glories will fade, but His truth, it will not pass away. It remains yesterday and forever the same. The Word is alive.”

Then it hit me. Of course my words can’t change someone’s heart, but the living Word of God can! It’s not me that can save a soul or convince someone that they need Jesus. It’s His Word, which is “living and active…and piercing as far as the divisions of soul and spirit.” That is what changes people’s lives. Salvation is about Christ, and God’s Word is about Christ. We should always be ready to share our faith, and in doing so, should always be ready to “preach the Word.” (2 Tim. 4:2) The Word is alive.

by Lydia Franz
originally posted December 2008