A couple weeks ago I was with our high school youth on a mission trip to the Apache reservation in Arizona. One day, we were hiking down the Cibeque Canyon to a beautiful waterfall and I saw many spectacular examples of God's creation. There were huge, sheer cliffs, pinnacles of rock and amazing strata of the earth's crust and other sights too numerous to mention. 

But one image in particular struck me and has stayed with me; it was a boulder that was lying by the side of the creek. This boulder was large, several tons at least, but its size is not what was extraordinary. What caught my attention was a little crack that ran through the center of that stone and a small plant that was growing up out of the crevice. It's hard to think of a more hostile environment for life to grow, but there it was.

Strange to say, but that small plant reminded me of God's Word.

The Word of God is living and active. -Hebrews 4:12

The small life of that plant was more active and irresistible than the huge rock. Potentially, it could keep growing and split that massive boulder right in half some day by its active life.

God's Word is like that. It comes into our hearts, which by nature were as hardened as that boulder, without even a crack for the Word to lodge in. And though we actively fought against the work of the Holy Spirit, God's Word overcame our hearts and faith was planted there.

What a reason to praise our all-powerful, gracious God. 

Not only for our own salvation, but for the privilege to participate in the salvation of others by sharing God's Word and sowing the seeds of life.