For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 NKJV
Do you wonder about the fruitfulness of your writing? I often struggle against the lie that I am wasting valuable time. Perhaps I should be feeding the homeless or doing some other fruitful ministry.
However, God promises that His Word never returns void. If we are writing about God’s Word, then our words will be bread (nourishment) for the eater and seed (fruitful) to the sower.
I am encouraged by Harriet Beecher Stowe, who exemplifies this verse. You probably know her from your high school social studies class as the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin – the book that sparked the American Civil War.
What you may not have been taught is that Harriet Beecher Stowe had a deep well of faith that was foundational to her life and writing. She was a prolific author, with 30+ books.
Stowe wrote a book entitled How to Live on Christ* from John 15:7 that says: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. NKJV
In that book, Stowe said to abide in Christ we must fully and freely surrender our body, soul, and spirit to Jesus. Once we have completely surrendered to Him, we can go about our lives calmly like an infant held in the arms of its mother. She has some practical “hints” that I’ll post at the end of this devotion if you are interested.
I am excited to share with you that Hudson Taylor, of Inland China Mission fame, gave Stowe’s book on abiding to every missionary he trained. During his 51 years of service, Hudson Taylor brought over 800 missionaries to China and trained over 700 Chinese nationals (wholesomewords.org).
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book on abiding in Christ was bread for Hudson Taylor. He gave it as seed to the sowers. And God produced abundant fruit.
God’s word never returns void!
This story Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book in the hand of Hudson Taylor’ missionaries nourished my spirit. I am inspired to continue writing devotions from His Word and spreading those seeds. God will bring the fruit. His word will not return void.
Stowe’s Three Hints to Abiding:
1. Pray all day long not just at your quiet time or other special times. Pray about every tiny detail, even the petty annoyances and little mistakes.
2. Read the gospels for examples from Jesus about how to handle life situations. If you are irritable, how did Jesus show patience? If you are worldly, how did Jesus exhibit godliness?
3. Memorize sacred songs that describe the character of Jesus or His divine aid.
*Note: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book How to Live on Christ seems to have been lost over time. What is known of its content is from an introduction she wrote for Christopher Dean’s book entitled Religion as It Should Be.