Read: Joshua 23:14-16
Not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised. (v. 14)
As Joshua neared the end of life, he offered one last message to the young leaders of Israel. He could remember life as a slave in Egypt before Passover, and while he had faith to enter the Promised Land, he suffered the 40 years of desert wandering because others feared. Now having led the conquest and settlement of Canaan, he shared all they needed to know: “not one word has failed of the good things that the LORD your God promised.”
This is the testimony of all who trust God. Paul wrote to young Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable” (2 Tim. 3:16). Proverbs observes, “Every word of God proves true” (Prov. 30:5). King David sang, “The testimony of the Lord is sure” (Ps. 19:7). Look at the possessions of any saint in a nursing home. You’ll likely see a well-worn Bible because “a Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
God’s Word is not merely ink on pages or pixels on a screen. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). God’s Word here is not a what but a who. It is Jesus. When we receive Jesus, we have God’s very Word living in us. “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20). It makes me want to wear out my Bible to feast on every promise. —Jon Opgenorth
As you pray, thank God for his promises.
About the Author
Rev. Jon Opgenorth serves as president of Words of Hope. Previously, he served for 18 years as senior pastor at Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa. In preparation for ministry, he received a BA in Religion from Northwestern College, and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary.
