Isaiah 41:7 The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good”; and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

The Word came to me and it was moved.

As I searched out the scriptures this passage in Isiah moved me.

We are in this together.

All I can contribute here is how my relationship with the Word works for me. This is one of the most difficult things to understand, how the Word speaks to us. By faith is a concept until the Spirit makes it known to us. We cannot make it happen, we have to let it happen.

When I came back to the bible after years of neglect I was an avid reader. I began with the gospel of John. My thinking at the time was that John knew Him best. That was my thought. Now decades later I tend to leave my personal opinions aside so that my flesh does not interfere with my hearing. But that is just me. I cannot speak for anyone else. As we share with each other our studies and conclusions we begin to understand the importance of agreement.

Philippians 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

How He speaks to us as individuals is because of our attention to the relationship. We own it. Together, as we share with each other, we get a glimpse into how He makes His will known. Getting to know each other better helps us to get to know Him better.

What I would like to say now is something that took me a long time to understand.

My way of hearing and expressing my experience is not the only way.

Love does not insist on its own way. This line of passage in 1 Corinthians 13:5 keeps appearing in my life over and over again with many of my personal relationships. Others may persist but it is up to me to show grace and not be resentful i.e. 1 Corinthians 13:5b love is not irritable or resentful.

This is how the Word comes alive in me, to see how the Word guides me towards better behaviors. But again, that is just me. How the Word works in others may be different because we are different. I honestly believe we have a personal relationship with our Lord. He treats us as individuals because He knows what we need and how best to meet those needs.

Genesis 25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Another answer to yesterday’s question might be that the love of the Son is more important than love of food.

I understand this is a stretch but this line of investigation came about because my sister-in-law brought up the issue of Esau and Jacob. I reminded her of Rebekah’s involvement which led me to verify my comments were true.

Many times it is the Word of the Lord that leads us to understanding just how God’s will is discovered. It was there in the scripture all along.

It was Rebekah who received the Word about the fate of her sons. It was Rebekah that saw an opportunity to be used to see His will could be done. It began with the Word of the Lord.

John 6:26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

When I read this I think about Isaac’s reason for loving Esau.

John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—

The Word is how God teaches us.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This is all tied together from the very first Word to the very last.

We can see God’s will being planned and carried out by everyone who keeps the Word.

Luke 11:28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Keeping His Word goes beyond just hearing. He causes us to obey, just like Rebekah did.