Power of the Word – Man as Chaplain
"Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. " -- Isaiah 45:22 ESV
In Isaiah 45, we read an amazing prophecy about a future Persian ruler named Cyrus, who would be God’s chosen instrument to deliver His people out of exile and make a way for them to return to the Promised Land. These events took place 200 years after the prophecy was given, which ought to give us incredible confidence in the veracity of God’s Word. Yet, in the midst of this important message about the future, God invites the idol-worshipping nations to reject their worthless idols and turn to Him, the one true God, and be saved (v. 22).
God used that very verse in a powerful way in the life of a 15-year-old who was not yet a Christian but was under intense conviction. He later admitted: “I was unhappy, I was desponding, I was despairing. I dreamed of hell. My life was full of sorrow and wretchedness, believing that I was lost.”
The young man woke up on Sunday, January 6, 1850, with a deep sense of his need for deliverance. Determined to attend church, he headed out into a howling blizzard, and because of the bitter wind and blinding snow, his path to church was providentially diverted down a side street. Soon he felt compelled to seek shelter from the snowstorm. Consequently, he ducked into the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Colchester, England. Not surprisingly, there were only about a dozen or so worshippers in attendance because of the weather. Even the pastor didn’t make it to church that Sunday morning. So, an unknown layman stepped into the pulpit and read this text—Isaiah 45:22 KJV—“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.”
The young man later wrote that this layman didn’t have much to say except to repeat this text, which was like an arrow to the teenager’s heart. Near the end of his 10-minute impromptu sermon, the lay preacher stopped and pointed directly at this young man sitting under the gallery, and he said: “Young man, you look very miserable.” He continued: “And you will always be miserable—miserable in life and miserable in death—if you do not obey my text. But if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.” Then he shouted, “Young man, look to Jesus Christ!”
The young man in question would later write: “Then I had this vision—not a vision to my eyes, but to my heart. I saw what a Savior Christ was.… Now I can never tell you how it was, but I no sooner saw whom I was to believe than I also understood what it was to believe, and I did believe in one moment….” On his way back through the storm, he reflected: “And as the snow fell on my road home from the little house of prayer I thought every snowflake talked with me and told of the pardon I had found, for I was white as the driven snow through the grace of God.” Upon his return home, his appearance caused his mother to exclaim: “Something wonderful has happened to you.”
God used that single verse from Isaiah 45:22 preached by an unnamed layman among a handful of worshippers to save and set free a young man who would become one of the greatest preachers in Christian history: Charles Haddon Spurgeon. To me, that speaks of the incredible power inherent in God’s Word. Not only the power of the prophetic word to be fulfilled in Cyrus, a ruler on the world stage, but also the power of God’s Word to transform Charles, a troubled teenager. Here is the bottom line: God’s Word has the power to transform anyone.
In our role as Chaplains in our homes, churches, and even in our communities, we must rely on the power of God’s Word to change lives. It wasn’t the ill-prepared lay preacher and his oratory who necessarily persuaded Spurgeon; it was God’s Word. That’s where the power is. But credit the guy for stepping up and leading. And don’t miss the fact that the layman had a basic grasp of Scripture. You can’t share what you don’t know. So, here at the beginning of the New Year, make it a priority to spend time daily in the Word and share what God reveals to you. That’s at the heart of our role as spiritual leaders. Remember, there is power in God’s Word.
1. What if you had been the guy tapped to lead in that church service? Would you have enough grasp of Scripture to share? If not, what steps can you take to change that?
2. How are you performing in your role as a spiritual leader? Are you taking those in your charge to God’s Word? Again, we are here to help. To join us on a daily journey through the Bible, visit www.FRC.org/Bible or text the word “Bible” to 67742.
3. Ask God to help you with the daily discipline of spending time with Him in the Word and including your family in that pursuit. It will pay off because God’s Word changes lives!
"Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. " -- Isaiah 45:22 ESV
In Isaiah 45, we read an amazing prophecy about a future Persian ruler named Cyrus, who would be God’s chosen instrument to deliver His people out of exile and make a way for them to return to the Promised Land. These events took place 200 years after the prophecy was given, which ought to give us incredible confidence in the veracity of God’s Word. Yet, in the midst of this important message about the future, God invites the idol-worshipping nations to reject their worthless idols and turn to Him, the one true God, and be saved (v. 22).
God used that very verse in a powerful way in the life of a 15-year-old who was not yet a Christian but was under intense conviction. He later admitted: “I was unhappy, I was desponding, I was despairing. I dreamed of hell. My life was full of sorrow and wretchedness, believing that I was lost.”
The young man woke up on Sunday, January 6, 1850, with a deep sense of his need for deliverance. Determined to attend church, he headed out into a howling blizzard, and because of the bitter wind and blinding snow, his path to church was providentially diverted down a side street. Soon he felt compelled to seek shelter from the snowstorm. Consequently, he ducked into the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Colchester, England. Not surprisingly, there were only about a dozen or so worshippers in attendance because of the weather. Even the pastor didn’t make it to church that Sunday morning. So, an unknown layman stepped into the pulpit and read this text—Isaiah 45:22 KJV—“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.”
The young man later wrote that this layman didn’t have much to say except to repeat this text, which was like an arrow to the teenager’s heart. Near the end of his 10-minute impromptu sermon, the lay preacher stopped and pointed directly at this young man sitting under the gallery, and he said: “Young man, you look very miserable.” He continued: “And you will always be miserable—miserable in life and miserable in death—if you do not obey my text. But if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.” Then he shouted, “Young man, look to Jesus Christ!”
The young man in question would later write: “Then I had this vision—not a vision to my eyes, but to my heart. I saw what a Savior Christ was.… Now I can never tell you how it was, but I no sooner saw whom I was to believe than I also understood what it was to believe, and I did believe in one moment….” On his way back through the storm, he reflected: “And as the snow fell on my road home from the little house of prayer I thought every snowflake talked with me and told of the pardon I had found, for I was white as the driven snow through the grace of God.” Upon his return home, his appearance caused his mother to exclaim: “Something wonderful has happened to you.”
God used that single verse from Isaiah 45:22 preached by an unnamed layman among a handful of worshippers to save and set free a young man who would become one of the greatest preachers in Christian history: Charles Haddon Spurgeon. To me, that speaks of the incredible power inherent in God’s Word. Not only the power of the prophetic word to be fulfilled in Cyrus, a ruler on the world stage, but also the power of God’s Word to transform Charles, a troubled teenager. Here is the bottom line: God’s Word has the power to transform anyone.
In our role as Chaplains in our homes, churches, and even in our communities, we must rely on the power of God’s Word to change lives. It wasn’t the ill-prepared lay preacher and his oratory who necessarily persuaded Spurgeon; it was God’s Word. That’s where the power is. But credit the guy for stepping up and leading. And don’t miss the fact that the layman had a basic grasp of Scripture. You can’t share what you don’t know. So, here at the beginning of the New Year, make it a priority to spend time daily in the Word and share what God reveals to you. That’s at the heart of our role as spiritual leaders. Remember, there is power in God’s Word.
1. What if you had been the guy tapped to lead in that church service? Would you have enough grasp of Scripture to share? If not, what steps can you take to change that?
2. How are you performing in your role as a spiritual leader? Are you taking those in your charge to God’s Word? Again, we are here to help. To join us on a daily journey through the Bible, visit www.FRC.org/Bible or text the word “Bible” to 67742.
3. Ask God to help you with the daily discipline of spending time with Him in the Word and including your family in that pursuit. It will pay off because God’s Word changes lives!