Like Water to the Thirsty
Opening Prayer
Lord, thank You for an open invitation to come and drink from the well of God.
Read ISAIAH 55:1–13
“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 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.
12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Prov. 30:5).
Our world is a noisy place. Words bombard us from every direction,
and we contribute a fair number ourselves every day. Our words are
often spoken lightly, and we easily underestimate their effect—until we try to withdraw them because they were needless or unwise. That is when we discover that words are never mere words. They have impact. That’s all the more true of God’s words. His words change things. What he says happens. Creation is a good example (Gen. 1:3–26; Psa. 33:6). God rightly asserts, “my word that goes out from my mouth… will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (11).
The rest of this chapter is like a string of beads on that connecting thread. God’s Word is one of invitation to the weary (1,2). It is trustworthy, always true, so there’s no need to hesitate to trust it (3–5). It is an urgent word, which requires a response before it’s too late (6,7). Though a statement of universal truth, individuals must accept it before it can benefit them. It is an extraordinary word (8,9). Its contents are anything but predictable, because God’s logic works on a higher plane than human logic. But for that, there would be no Gospel, no grace and no mercy, but only justice, judgment and condemnation. It is a life-giving word (10), like rain that makes the ground fruitful and productive. It is a transforming word (12,13), through which
freedom replaces captivity, fruitfulness replaces barrenness and security replaces uncertainty.
All of this characterized our eternal God before Christ was born. Now we know it’s even more wonderful than Isaiah envisaged, because Jesus personifies it as the word made flesh (John 1:14).
Apply
The writer of Psalm 119 loves, prioritizes, meditates on and obeys
God’s Word. How far do you share his passion? What would help you love God’s Word more?
Closing prayer
Lord, cause Your word to go forth on my behalf so that I can share Your beneficence with others.
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