Like Grass

Today, I started a new plan for devotional / Bible intake. Basically, to study the Word starting at 6pm. This is an intentional effort for the kids to see me in the Bible, ask me questions, for me to ask them questions, and all that. It is not formal, just reading The Bible near them and around what they are doing (as opposed to waiting til they go to bed). 

That being said, where I started was Mark 1:1-14 in conjunction with Francis Chan’s new study on Mark. I got to verse 3, and I saw a link to Isaiah 40:3. Feeling the Spirit’s prompting through a need to investigate that passage (over Malachi 3:1 which is also referenced), I flipped to Isaiah 40:3. 

That particular passage starts the comforting part of Isaiah’s message. Verses 3-5 is a quote that predicts the coming Messiah. However, verse 6 caught my eye which tells Isaiah to cry out to which Isaiah asks what to cry out. 

To put this in perspective, the Bible spoke to people in the past as well as to us now. It was not written only for the future, but at the time. For Isaiah, he wanted to know what to tell the people. Before God speaks, what is going through Isaiah’s mind. Take a moment, what’s going through your’s?

I knew that whatever came next was extremely important and would explain everything. In a way, I was right, but still unexpected. 

“A voice was saying, “Cry out!” Another said, “What should I cry out?” “All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.”” Isaiah 40:6-8 

Wow. Humbling. Basically, we are all like grass. Weak. Frail. Cow food. Here for a short time. I love when winter comes. I can stop mowing the grass because it’s dead. I don’t know what your lawn looks like, but when mine has “flowers” the kids love to pick them.  The best of us is like flowers of the field. The flowers the kids pick are weeds. That’s the best we can do as people: be pretty weeds. Who we are, what we do, where we live, all of that withers and fades.

The first part of Isaiah’s message to cry is, well, depressing, but it’s not over. The last phrase says “the word of our God remains forever.” After verse 8, there is talk of spreading this good news from the mountaintops and our cities. Basically, preaching how great God is. This is what people are to preach and practice: the greatness of God.

Now, more good news. 1 Peter also quotes this passage, and if you read 1 Peter 1:23 it says, ““because you have been born again — not of perishable seed but of imperishable — through the living and enduring word of God.” Peter is saying that yes, we are like grass, but now, we are like grass that has had their seed replaced by the living Word of God, and we can never fade away. 

Jesus came as the living Word of God. He died and was raised again on the third day. If we believe in Him and His work, we will have a heart change. With His Word in our hearts, we can show others and tell others of our great God through the power of Jesus Christ.

The message hasn’t changed. Our God is great! The message is now delivered by those who were once weak, frail, and fading. The grass we are now needs to spread. You could say it’s a grass roots campaign. Spread the Word: God is great!