June 5, 2026 Devo

June 5th, 2026

Powerful Words from the Prophets
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” – Isaiah 55:9-10 (NLT)
“When It Feels Like No One Is Listening”

I wish I could tell you how many times I’ve preached and wondered after it was over if anyone was even listening. I’ve often wished I had pastored black churches. Those churches give you feedback! Instead, I see people smile and nod, and, if my people drank enough strong coffee that morning, the occasional “Amen!” But still, did it make a difference? Did God really speak through me that day, or was I just making noise? Honestly, it’s not always easy to know.
That’s why our passage today is really reassuring to me. I can’t control how people respond or don’t respond. I can only control how I listen to God as I prepare. God’s promise today gives me hope and peace. Read it again. “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
When I read this, I was reminded of the story of the farmer planting his seed. Some grew, and some didn’t. But as Jesus unpacked the story, He made it clear that there was nothing wrong with the seed, which represented the word of God. The problem was with the soil, which represented the hearts of people. God’s Word is Pure. It is Powerful. It is Life and Hope and Truth. Whether people are challenged, transformed, inspired, or untouched tells us more about their hearts and their openness to God than it does about God’s Word.
I write this to encourage those of you who, like me, have preached or taught or shared God’s Word and felt as if it did no good at all. Take heart from our verse today. God will cause His Word to prosper. It may take time. It may take some further watering or cultivating. It may take some of the soil of people’s hearts getting plowed a bit. But God will take care of all that. You just do what God calls you to do and spread the seed. He will take care of the harvest. That’s God’s Word for you today.