Today I am pondering (among other things) the words, the pen is mightier than the sword. I am thinking this era of rampant, unchecked censorship does not bode well for the word, written (which would be the pen) or otherwise. With the pen thus silenced, the sword wins every time. We are witnesses to this outcome as we watch buildings burn and people attempting to defend their property, like David Dorn, lose their lives. My own city has just set a record for homicides due to gun violence and the year is not over yet. With the pen currently banned from the battlefield, put in its place and held captive there by censorship, the sword is having a heyday being virtually unopposed.

The sword is often used to silence the pen, or sometimes just the threat of the sword is enough to eliminate the pen from the playing field of the current society. Books are banned from libraries, schools, stores, even Amazon. Newspapers will not print certain points of view and social media accounts are cancelled based on their penned content. Apparently, physical violence is preferable to the untold dangers of free speech and uncensored ideas. If it is not the approved narrative, it is forbidden.

Today, many wonder if the penned words of our Declaration of Independence and of our Constitution will stand the test of time. Will these words of hope and law, which have provided a sure foundation upon which to build a free country, prove mightier than the swords that would slay them, bringing an end to freedom and democracy? Time will tell.

At this point in my ponder, it occurs to me that there are words penned that have stood the test of time and will continue to stand, long after time itself ceases to exist. I read Jesus’s words in Matthew 24:35,

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.”

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

God’s written word, the Bible, is mightier than the sword. But in an ironic twist, I am told that God’s word is a sword. In fact, it is the ultimate sword as I learn in Ephesians 6:17,

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

God’s word is both the pen and the sword! It protects me from the lies and deceits of the enemy because it is truth. It is described this way in Hebrews 4:12-13,

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

So God’s pen is a mighty sharp, double-edged sword! It has stood the test of time and being a living word, will survive man’s attempts at censorship, though many have tried in the past and continue to this day to silence God’s word. The bible is banned in countries such as China, North Korea, Iran and other communist countries where free speech and thought are not tolerated. However, God’s message of love and salvation for all of mankind is not silenced by mere men. In Luke 19:40 I read what Jesus said to the Pharisees when they ordered Him to silence His disciples,

” ‘I tell you,’ He (Jesus) replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’ ” Indeed,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. . . . Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)

God’s truth will not be censored, silenced, bound nor hidden from those on this earth for whom His living words were penned. We can know the truth and the truth will set us free.

“Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures.” (Psalm 119:89-90)

His word is mightier than the sword – His word is our sword. In Isaiah 55:11, the Lord declares,

“so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

guess the power of the pen resides with the author, and in this case the author is the Creator, Sustainer of the entire universe – needless to say, He wields a mighty pen –

sincerely, Grace Day