Always Successful

"For as the rain and the snow cometh down from heaven, and returneth no thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isaiah 55:10, 11

The preaching of God's word is always a success story whether we see the results or not. The joy of preaching God's word is that its results are actual, though not obvious. No matter what our eyes tell us or circumstances inform to the contrary, the preaching of God's word is a successful enterprise every time. The only failure is to not preach; the only guaranteed lack of harvest is to not sow.

Preaching is the only true successful art because it is the only art that has the absolute power of God in it. It is His word, not ours, and His word enriches and enlivens all things. We err if we start with ourselves in preaching: "I must sound well, speak well, be clear, be simple." Rhetorical excellence is a virtue, but the success inherent in the word of God is contingent upon God and not us. If preaching succeeds, it is always in spite of the preacher.

"Your Word knows not

The limitations of man.

It knows only the

Power of God..."

-Jon Vowell