Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
– Luke 21:23
What a simple, significant verse to memorize, to remember that Heaven and Earth will pass away. Just look around you today at everything in this world as it is. It’s going to pass away. There is no toy, or treasure, nothing in this world that is going to last forever, except for the souls of men and women and the Word of God. This makes the Word of God the most valuable thing for our souls in this world and beyond this world.
Luke 21:23 teaches us God’s Word will last forever.
The one thing that’s not going to pass away is God’s Word. So, meditate on it, day and night. Make God’s Word your supreme treasure in this world, more important than any other thing, and hide it in your heart. To Joshua 1, “be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” To Psalm 1, “make it your delight,” day in and day out, morning and evening. And spread it. Matthew 28:18–20, “Go and make disciples, leading people to Jesus and teaching them to obey everything God has commanded us in it.” Knowing this Word, the Bible, the Word of God will never, ever fail. It will always last. It will stand when everything else in the world falls.
Oh, I want to encourage you today to love God’s Word. Meditate on God’s Word. Memorize God’s Word. Obey God’s Word. Revolve your life around God’s Word, knowing that when you do, you are giving your life to what will matter and last forever.
Luke 21:23 encourages us to depend on God’s Word.
Oh God, we praise you for your Word. We praise you for your revelation of yourself, your revelation of who you are, who we are, and how to live. God, we praise you for not leaving us in the dark. We praise you for your Word that’s a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, that opens our eyes, enlightens our eyes, saves our souls, and leads and guides our steps. God, we love your Word, we need your Word, and we pray that you would help us to treasure your Word more than any other possession in this world. That it would be evident in our lives that we treasure it through our meditation on it, through our delight in it, through our study of it, and our obedience to it and our proclamation of it.
Prayer for the Somali People
God, we think about all these languages that don’t have your Word in their language yet. God, we pray that you would change that. We think about all these people who don’t know your Word. So many. Millions of Somali men, women, and children, specifically today we intercede for, those who don’t know your Word, who don’t have your Word.
God, we pray for the spread of your Word all around the world. We pray that you would use our lives, your church… All those who are working on Bible translation toward this end. God, we pray that your Word would spread to the world… To everyone in the world, and you would help us today to play our part in that. Help us to encourage other brothers and sisters in Christ with your Word today. Help us to share your Word, by the power of your Holy Spirit, with people who don’t know you today.
God, we pray that you would help us to live today out of the overflow of Luke 21:33… The reality, the realization, that Heaven and Earth themselves will pass away, but your words will not pass away. They will endure forever. Oh, God, help us to live today for what will endure forever, your Word. In Jesus’ name, we pray, according to your Word. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
