The term 'quick' here is used in its archaic sense meaning endowed with life, having a high degree of vigor, energy, or activity.¹ The word of God tingles with the sensitivity of life, stirring our thoughts and our spirits, laying open the heart, and with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel the word of God accurately discerns our spiritual health, day by day, moment by moment—if we listen. God is our comforter,² but also our discerner. It is not enough to be warm and comfortable, we must also be guided. Comfort keeps us where we are, guidance through accurate discernment helps us to grow.

The word of God (the Word ³) and God cannot be separated. They are one. In the same sense we humans cannot be separated from our words. The words we speak are born of our belief, faith, attitude, experience. We are those words, and those words are us. Well, this is the ideal to strive for. In actuality the word/self connection is rarely so complete and we find ourselves saying things we don't mean, or are not true; words that judge, dismiss, betray or hurt; words that baffle and distress. Often we use our words as weapons, to attack those we disagree with, to shame them, expose them, mock them.

When I am able to align the words I speak with the word I hear, the word of God then I become whole for a moment, fully connected, mind, body and spirit. In those moments I am a discerning being, alive, precise and quick.

¹ quick: adjective, dictionary.com
² As described in (e.g.) John 14:26 and 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
³ John 1:1