The Power of “Let”

 

Have you ever noticed how often the word “let” appears in the Bible? Some translations say over a thousand time. Others report almost four thousand! Regardless, that little three-letter word caught my attention this week as though I’d never before seen it. Such a small word, yet defined by so many facets, for example:

 

Let permits or allows. “We let the kids stay up a while.”

 

Let provides an opportunity. “Their donation let us restock the pantry.”

 

Let adjusts what needs adjusting. “I let the hem out in those pants.”

 

Let shares a secret. “We let them in on our plans.”

 

Let expresses. “The new puppy let out a cry.”

 

Let commands. “Let me see that.”

 

Let sets free. “They let loose their laughter.”

 

Let releases. “Let go and let God.”

 

Permission, provision, adjustment, revelation, expression, command, freedom, release – those varied aspects of “Let” are inherent in the Bible verses below. As you read, notice especially how God permitted His creation to create!

 

“God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light,” Genesis 1:3.

 

“And God said, ‘Let the land produce seed-bearing plants and trees that bear fruit, according to their various kinds.' And it was so,” Genesis 1:11.

 

“Then God said, ‘Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly over the earth and across the sky’,” Genesis 1:20.

 

“God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so,” Genesis 1:24.

 

“Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image and likeness, so they may have authority over the fish in the sea and birds in the sky, livestock and wild animals, and all creatures that move along the ground’,” Genesis 1:26.

And it was so!

 

In another creation account, we see a young virgin’s response to an angel’s news that God had chosen her to bear His Son.

 

“And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed,” Luke 1: 38.

Mary’s “Let it be” and God’s “Let there be” are ways of agreeing or saying, “Amen,” which, in this unique incident, worked together to ensure the birth of Jesus.

The story doesn’t end there though. In the “image and likeness” of God, we, too, have the power to create and let things happen as wardens of the earth. Consider, for example, how the permissive, expressive, revealing, creativity of God continues as Jesus commands in the gospel of Matthew:

 

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they can see your good acts and glorify your Father in heaven," Matthew 5:16.

 

Amen. 

So be it. 

Let it be in Jesus’ Name.

 

What light do we shine?

As children of God, we’re to be light-bearers to the world – not unlike a lighthouse guiding people out of dangerous waters and into safety on shore. But what if our light flickers unreliably? What if it dims or has no more shine than a nightlight on a vast sea?

Isaiah 49:6 says, “I will make you a light to the nations, extending My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

A Light that reaches to the ends of the earth.... That’s one powerful light! And that’s what our writings need. But how do we get solidly connected to its energy, range, and luminosity?

By praying for the Light of Christ and constantly reading God’s Word….

A discerning Christian friend reminded me of a group I’d felt uneasy about and meant to check out but hadn’t until she expressed similar concerns. A quick Google search uncovered their claims that Christ had returned. If I weren’t familiar with the Bible, I might have been drawn in or fooled by their use of “Christian” catch-phrases. 

As Christian poets and writers, we cannot afford to be led away from God’s Word – not only for ourselves but for the countless people whom our writings influence.

Those childhood recollections we have from Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or religious classes in parochial schools gave us wonderful flashlights to illuminate our own Christian walk. But we need stronger light, greater power, and more and more of God’s Word if we’re to spread the Light of Christ with beauty, accuracy, and far-reaching effects throughout the whole world.

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2017, poet-writer and Bible reviewer

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