2 Peter 1:21: “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

August 14th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The prophecies found throughout Scripture were not produced by human will, but by God as He sent His Holy Spirit to move and speak through men. God the Holy Spirit illuminated their minds and gave them knowledge of divine things and foresight of future things. Peter emphasizes here that no part of Scripture was ever, at any time, produced by men because they wanted to write Scripture. He even stated in his first letter that prophets sometimes wrote about things they did not fully understand, but they were faithful nonetheless to write what God revealed to them. The Apostle Paul wrote something similar to Timothy: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–7). The American church in the 21st century struggles to accept the divine nature of God’s word and the impact it has on lives, which causes the church to often be weak and feeble.

American believers of the past had a different attitude toward the word of God. The Pony Express was short lived, shutting down in October 1861, but for 18 months it carried the mail across America. It took 10 days to get a letter from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California, as mail carries rode horseback through 184 stations, which were placed 5 to 20 miles apart. For speed and endurance, the riders traveled as light as possible, using special stripped down saddles and light clothing. Even the paper used for letters was thin tissue. Understanding their extreme effort to travel light, it is very telling that Pony Express riders carried a Bible. To the owners and riders of the Pony Express Company, the word of God was a necessity. Today the American countryside is filled with churches, but few of them faithfully teach through the Bible. If church leaders don’t have a hunger for—or even worse, don’t believe—the Bible, then neither will the people. We long to see revival in our nation, but it won’t happen until each of us first desires to know the word of God and then applies it to our own life.

“LORD, we believe You and what You have given us in Your word. Please give us a greater hunger for it this day.”