-- Lysa Terkeurst
vs 1 Invitation to the Thirsty
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;.....
From First5...
I cannot read Isaiah 55:1 without thinking of Jesus' words in John 7:37-38: "On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." '" Jesus also declares in John 4:14, "but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The living water Jesus spoke of is the gift of salvation, fullness of life. A free gift to us but a gift that cost Jesus His life.
It grieves me that there are so many people in this world going to a well day after day to fill up their bucket with water that won't last. You always get thirsty again. You always need water. You need it every. single. day.
What wells are we trying to draw water from on a regular basis? Do we look to work, family, education, various achievements?
If we are honest with ourselves, we find a flickering and fleeting sense of satisfaction from these, but none of them can be the full source of satisfaction in our lives. They can quench part of our heart but never reach that deep thirst of the soul. Only Jesus can do that. Jesus is the source of satisfaction that will not leave us wanting.
[I've heard it said that our bodies are often in a state of dehydration and we don't recognize it. There are things that we can drink, trying to respond to our thirst, that actually depleats our bodies of the good things that we need to be healthy. Sometimes I crave a soada because that's what my body s used to but I recognize that although it may meet and immediate need, it actually isn't always refreshing. I have to purposesly choose to drink water and can tell that my body responds differently and is truly refreshed. While in this life, I will have to continue to go to the well....I can either choose that which is refreshing and provides what my body needs or I can choose what my flesh wants and be temporarily satisfied but not fulfilled.]
vs 6 - 9 We are to seek Him but be humbled by the distance between God and man
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.
- The difference and distance between God and man is revealed, not to discourage us from seeking Him, but to keep us humble as we seek.
“You may conclude that it is not intended that you should understand the infinite, for you are told that his thoughts and ways are far above you; but you are required to seek him while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near.” (Spurgeon) - Gloriously, in Jesus Christ, heaven has come down to earth, and we can have our thoughts and ways transformed to be more like God’s thoughts and ways. This is what it means to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). The distance will never be closed; God will always be God, and we will always be human. But when our salvation is complete, and we are united with the LORD in glory, the distance will be as close as is possible.
VS 10 -11 The power and purpose of His Word
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.
- God is not just “all talk.” When He talks, His words accomplish His intended purpose. The word of the LORD has power, and it never fails in His intended purpose.
- The operation of God’s Word shows that God’s Word brings forth fruit. It also shows that the fruit has many different applications. The same grain that gives seed to the sower also gives bread to the eater.
- God’s Word has something to accomplish. God doesn’t just speak to hear Himself talk. His Word is not empty, or lacking in power. This also means that God’s Word has a purpose. He didn’t speak in unfathomable mysteries just to blow our minds, or confuse us, or leave things up to any possible interpretation. When God speaks, He speaks to accomplish a purpose.
- God’s Word doesn’t barely get the job done. It shall prosper in the purpose God has for it. It is rich and full of life.
A word from Lysa Terkeurst, First 5
During a time of feeling like she was in a desperate place, Lysa recalls knowing that she needed to connect with God's truth,but was feeling "dry and barren (my empathetic words)" and simply wanted Him to rain down "right now" wisdom and refreshing. She went on to say....
But God's Word offers us so much more. Scripture also supplies us with seed for our future as we see demonstrated in verses 10-11. This water imagery would have been quite significant to the people of Israel. Because of where they lived, they were heavily dependent on seasonal rains for water. Water simply wasn't as easily accessible to them as it was for other nations like the Egyptians with the Nile River.
Of course, I don't think there was anything coincidental about their location or their dependence on the seasonal rains. The Israelites' need to depend on God for physical sustenance and satisfaction would have served as a continual reminder of their need to depend upon Him spiritually, as well.
I also want us to note that the Israelites didn't just need the rain for immediate relief for themselves or nourishment for their plants. The rains served a dual purpose — enabling the crops to flourish in the present for food as well as enabling the crops to produce the seeds necessary for the following year. The water provided not only sustenance for the present but assurance for the future.
How like the Word of God! Scripture, like rain, brings us immediate nourishment and refreshing for our present, (Psalm 19:7-10) but it also plants seeds to sustain us in the future. (Isaiah 55:10) God already sees everything coming our way, and that means He knows exactly how to begin preparing our hearts today.
Sadly, though, the references to hunger and thirst we find at the beginning of this passage reveal that the Israelites had not been turning to God or His Word as their source of wisdom and satisfaction. (Isaiah 55:1-2) This is where we must make one important distinction between plants and people. When rain falls, plants are automatically nourished. We, however, are quite different. In our relationship with God, responding and receiving is our responsibility. We must choose to receive His truth and His grace.
Some days God's Word is going to feed us right away like bread, and other days it might feel more like holding onto seeds. Words that we may not grasp why we need them just yet, but that still should be deposited in our hearts so they can grow. Yes. Being in God's Word is more vital than we can possibly begin to know — both for our todays and our tomorrows.
vs 12-13 The joy and blessing for God's people
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.”
- When God’s people turn to Him, listen to Him, and His Word does His work in them, joy and peace are always the result.
- The joy is so great, that even the mountains and the hills, and the trees of the field join in!
- Where before there was barrenness and reminders of the curse (the thorn), now there will be beautiful and useful trees. The picture is clear; in His glorious work of restoration, God takes away the barren and the cursed, and brings forth beauty and fruit.
- When the LORD restores, all the work is done for His name, and for His glory. When the LORD restores, the work is secure; it is an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.