But the word of our God

The voice said, "Cry out!" And he said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever." – Isaiah 40v6-8

We have a picture on our wall downstairs that we took several years ago during a long dry spell in Ireland (yes, albeit rarely, they do happen). It was taken from near the visitor centre looking toward the round tower. Normally it is very plush and green and vibrant, but that day the grass was dry and yellow and dying.

I thought of that when I read this passage. ‘The grass withers, the flower fades as the breath of the Lord blows in it.’ It doesn’t take long for the flowers and grass to die away. I am reading ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ for the first time in many years. As Steinbeck describes the effects of long term drought the reader can almost sense the fading and drying and dying the grasses and other plants.

All those things are temporary. But that is not the point. God is using the fading grass and flowers to point out what man’s life is like. ‘All flesh is grass…surely the people are grass. Just like the grass and flower fades, but…’

‘But’ is a great Bible word. Everything fades away, BUT the word of the Lord endures forever.

I am like most folks. I like life and I like the stuff that comes with it, but it won’t be long before all the stuff I hold dear, even my iPhone, will all be gone. It is will all fade away and disappear. All the news and events and circumstances I deal with will soon be of no importance. Everything relating to me will indeed fade away.

On my desk at the moment I have my computer, a printer, a mouse, speakers, and external hard drive, pens, pencils, books, envelopes, various papers, and a couple of lamps. All of these will be gone in just a few years. I also have a couple of Bibles. Though the physical copies of these will also fade away what is contained in them will not. The word of God stands and will still stand when everyone and everything I can see is gone.

So where is my focus today? I am focused and life and stuff or I am focusing on the one thing that will always stand?