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Isaiah prophesied the fullness of salvation to come, the free gift available to everyone who is spiritually hungry and thirsty and seeks Him in the New Covenant to come. He describes an abundant and full and sure salvation for all who “come to the waters” of Life. Some beautiful words upon which to meditate:
The Invitation – Isaiah 55 (MEV):
1 Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good,
and let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Listen, so that your soul may live,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
even the sure mercies of David.
4 See, I have given him as a witness to the people,
a leader and commander to the people.
5 Surely you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and nations that did not know you shall run to you
because of the Lord your God,
even the Holy One of Israel;
for He has glorified you.
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found,
call you upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him,
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways My ways,
says the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain comes down,
and the snow from heaven,
and do not return there
but water the earth
and make it bring forth and bud
that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
it shall not return to Me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 For you shall go out with joy,
and be led out with peace;
the mountains and the hills
shall break forth into singing before you,
and all the trees of the field
shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree,
and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign
that shall not be cut off.”
I love the way the passage starts off: “Ho! Everyone…” It’s like, everyone listen up, I have something important to tell you.
Seek and you shall find
Then Jesus said: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). It is all available in Him, our salvation, the Holy Spirit, our fulfillment, our destiny as His forgiven, made righteous children, co-laborers with Him in the Kingdom, spreading the Good News to bring in the lost to the wonderful free meal spread before them.
“For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace (for your well being) and not for evil (harm, calamity), to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Seek the Lord for a deeper understanding of who you have been made to be in Him, of His great love for you, and of your wonderful inheritance in Him.
May “the eyes of your understanding … be enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe…” and “...power to be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16-19).
So, let us rejoice in the Lord always, praising Him and thanking Him in the midst of every circumstance, anxious for nothing, because of our relationship with Him (Phil. 4), and as we choose joy, we will “be led out with peace,” yes that very peace that “surpasses understanding.” Yes that peace that will keep, guard, protect our minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.
Come into His presence with thanksgiving and praise
“Enter into His gates [coming into His presence] with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Psalm 100:4). “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence,” (Acts 2:28 quoting Psalm 16:11). Where will I be filled with the Lord’s joy? In His presence – and “the joy of the Lord is my strength” (Neh. 8:10). So my strength comes from the joy of being in God’s presence.
There are times when we are hungry and thirsty for all that Jesus has for us. Praise and worship and meditating on His promises can bring us there. These are times when our renewed minds are more keenly aware of our place in His Kingdom now, His Spirit within us, and the richness of our salvation, as our souls prosper. “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 1:2).
Then there are times when the influences of the world, the flesh and the devil distract us from what is most important. So, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call you upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55.6)
His promises are true, for the Lord says, “My word that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). And He is pleased for us to receive and experience the fullness of our salvation, everything He won for us on the cross, His grace, not only forgiveness and eternal life, but all that we need now for life and godliness.
“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence, by which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through these things you might become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through sinful desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4).
And we receive these things day by day by stepping out in the faith He has given us, choosing to trust in Jesus and His wonderful faithfulness.
Louise Cummings
Wonderful. Great Scriptures. Who wouldn’t want to love and Trust in a God like that. Beautiful Scriptures. I liked the first starting out. Is close. Where it says, if you are thirsty. Come to the Waters and drink. ( Just think what and abundance of water He has for us to drink. He read great great Scriptures on it.