Focus: Said And Done! (Pt.1)

Text: Num.11:23

"Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not."

Read through our text again and again, and take note of "the LORD'S hand" and "my word." The hand of God speaks of God's arm or power. When God speaks, His power swings into action. God's hand attends to God's word. God's words become God's works. With God the 'said' is the same thing as the 'done.' The psalmist declares, "For he SPAKE, and it was DONE; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps.33:9). God works through His words. His words and His works are eternally connected.

Three things you should know. The psalmist says, "As for God, his WAY is perfect… The LAW of the LORD is perfect… He is the Rock, his WORK is perfect…" (Ps.18:30; 19:7; Dt.32:4). The law represents the word of God. 

So the Word, Work, and Way of God are perfect. Perfection is seen across what God says, what God does, and the way God operates. Word, Work and Way are perfect trinity.

God is a doer of His own words and a keeper of His own promises.

*The conception of Isaac 

God's promise was fulfilled when Isaac was born. Moses reports, "And the LORD VISITED Sarah as he had SAID, and the LORD DID unto Sarah as he had SPOKEN" (Gen.21:1). Sarah was barren, and to make matters worse, she was no longer within the age bracket of mothering or birthing a child. It took years since God promised to give her a child, but at last God came through for her and kept His promise to them. It is written that "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he SAID, and shall he not DO it? or hath he SPOKEN, and shall he not MAKE IT GOOD?" (Num.23:19). God is known for saying and doing; making promises and fulfilling them. God keeps His promises. He merits the title of Promise-keeper. He speaks and stands by His own word. You can never be disappointed trusting God and hoping on His word.

*The resurrection of Christ

The angel of the Lord said, "He is not here: for he is risen, AS HE SAID. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Mt.28:6). Christ said it that He was going to die and then rise from the dead three days after. The resurrection was a fulfillment of Christ's word.

*The voyage to Rome

Paul said to his fellow travelers, "Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me" (Act.27:25). God reassured Paul in a night vision that no life would be lost in that voyage to Rome.

Luke writes, "And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at ROME" (Act.23:11). After he embarked on the journey to Rome and when faced with a life-threatening storm, God said to him, "Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee" (Act.27:24). Remember that Caesar's throne was situated in Rome. On the strength of the divine revelation and assurance given to him, Paul then said to his fellow travelers, "And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship" (Act.27:22). The ship would be destroyed by the storm, but the travelers would survive. The storm got so fierce and frightening that they lost all hope of surviving it. Luke wrote, "And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away" (Act.27:20).

Paul survived the storm only because God had said so to him. The people survived the storm only because God had committed all of them into Paul's hands. God saw Paul as their leader and keeper. His anointing would preserve them. Luke wrote, "And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land" (Act.27:44). They were all safe to land while the ship was ruined beyond repair.

Finally God's word to Paul was fulfilled. Luke wrote, "Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went TOWARD ROME… And when we came to ROME" (Act.28:14,16). Paul traveled toward and finally arrived Rome in fulfillment of God's spoken word.

Hope and hold on to God's word! God will fulfill His word in your life. It is not over yet! God has not finished with you. He will do as He has said; He will confirm His word with signs, wonders and miracles.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter