I didn't know a lot at five-years-old, but something I always knew was that if Dad told me no- there were no questions asked. I remember being a little girl, arguing my little heart out, until finally my Dad would look down at me and say, "No. That's the way it is, what I say is final." and I knew right then that my argument was lost- Dad always got the last word and he wasn't going to change his mind. It was no use to beg and whine any more. I wasn't going to get what I wanted, I wasn't going to win. Dad's word was final, set in stone, and unchangeable. As a little girl, this frustrated me beyond measure. No excuses I made, no tears I cried, and no amount of eyelash batting was going to get him to say yes. He was a man of his word- what he said was what he said. It trumped everything else.
Awhile back, a friend had given me a word from the Bible that has now come to be my favorite chapter- Isaiah 45 (read it, it's really good). In Isaiah 45, God shares how he is going to mightily use King Cyrus to deliver his people. He promises his people that he will make a way for them through this king, and that he would strengthen him and make himself known through this man.
I've read this chapter more times than I can count, but this particular morning I just needed to be reminded of God's promises. So I went back and re-read my favorite Bible passage. I read the long list of promises from God to his people, hoping to be encouraged of my own promises from God. But what really caught my eye this dreary morning wasn't any of the promises, but the concluding statement-- at the very end, after encouraging his children and promising them deliverance and prosperity, God says,
"I, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, have spoken!" (NLT)
This hit me hard.
and just like that, I felt like a little girl again.
Like nothing I could say could change his mind; nothing I did would change his stance; no lies that the world fed me could defer or take away from the promises God had clearly written out for me.
My first response was to argue and make an excuse, "yeah, but God--"
and i was quickly cut off--
"Aly. I always get the last word."
It was as simple as that.
God ALWAYS gets the last word. Just like my father as a little girl, my heavenly Father's word trumped EVERYTHING else.
When God promises us something, when he fills our hearts with His love, when he shows us our dreams, he always seals it with, "I, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, have spoken!" There is nothing in this world that has the power to contradict what God has spoken. Nothing can stand against his word. If God has shown you something, if he has promised you something- HE'S SPOKEN- it is going to happen. There are no ands, ifs, or buts. No other voice in your head, on this planet, or of the enemy matters.
So then why do I doubt God? Why do I fear that he won't come through? Why do I make up excuses, argue with him, and convince myself that those promises aren't for me?
God is a God of His WORD. His word is set in stone. His word is unchangeable. What he says is true, faithful, trustworthy, and most importantly- what he says is final.
My circumstances, my bad day, and my low spirits cannot argue with what God has spoken about my life. Nothing can take away from the promises instilled inside of me. My argument is lost, and His mind is still unchanged.
That's the way it is. No questions asked. God always has the last word.
