Isaiah 55

Listen, Look, and Seek

Posted on by Betsy

I get ridiculously excited when I spot my first osprey returning to the Outer Banks after the long winter away. Ospreys are coastal raptors who dive into water to catch fish. They are creatures of habit who return to the same large, stick-nest year after year. My community has erected several tall nest platforms along our waters, and each spring we enjoy watching them return to have their babies. As soon as I spot daffodils popping up in my neighbor’s yards, I begin to listen for their delightful chirps and whistles. I train my eyes upward on my walks to spot their arrival. It is a rite of passage for me to see my first osprey every year, and I tear up every time it happens. The picture below was taken last week at such a first-sighting, when this magnificent fellow swooped down over my head in observant circles before landing on his high perch at the marina. You can see the large stick he carried in his talons for building his nest. Welcome home, dear fellow! I have been waiting and watching for you.

Our beautiful lectionary passage from Isaiah today invites us to come to the water to drink and eat of God’s goodness. Watch for the repetition of the words listen, look, and seek.

Isaiah 55 (Common English Bible)

 All of you who are thirsty, come to the water!
Whoever has no money, come, buy food and eat!
Without money, at no cost, buy wine and milk!
2 Why spend money for what isn’t food,
    and your earnings for what doesn’t satisfy?

Listen carefully to me and eat what is good;
    enjoy the richest of feasts.
3 Listen and come to me;
    listen, and you will live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful loyalty to David.

We are invited to come and receive God’s blessing of being richly spiritually fed. But if we aren’t thirsty for what God can give us, we will never come. What are you thirsty for? Is it poured out by the Holy Spirit or found in the marketplace of the world? God’s wine, milk, and food are offered at no cost. What price are you paying for the things you consume that are not of God? When we fill ourselves of the empty calories of gossip, anger, hatred, evil, and greed, we starve ourselves of the sustenance that matters.

4 Look, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a prince and commander of peoples.
5 Look, you will call a nation you don’t know,
    a nation you don’t know will run to you
    because of the Lord your God,
    the holy one of Israel, who has glorified you.

Look up and see what God is doing. The covenant he made with the shepherd boy David is fulfilled in the Good Shepherd Jesus. Isaiah invites us to seek the Lord in an attitude of worship and repentance. God is generous with forgiveness: We can come to his waters and be cleansed.

6 Seek the Lord when he can still be found;
    call him while he is yet near.
7 Let the wicked abandon their ways
    and the sinful their schemes.
Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,
    to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.

This last part is a humbling reminder that God’s thoughts, plans, and ways are not the same as ours. We falter and fall when we assume than they are. Instead, we are reminded to bow down to our God who knows way better than we do about what is actually good for us.

8 My plans aren’t your plans,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways,
    and my plans than your plans.

We are invited this Lent to return to the Lord like the ospreys return to the safety and sure provision of their nests. May we listen, look, and seek God in everything we do.

Welcome Home

Go Out in Joy

Posted on by Betsy

I have confessed before that I am a lover of words. Words capture my imagination and take me to new worlds. Words express my deepest fears and unspoken longings. It is no coincidence that all of my favorite pastimes involve words: daily rounds of Wordle, playing a scrabble game called Words with Friends, reading, writing, and of course, communicating with people all day long through the spoken and written word. Words have the power to transport us, correct us, redeem us, and empower us.

Sometimes a particular word will come to my attention, and I try to find ways to use it just because it is so cool. Currently I am stuck on malarkey, pernicious, and obfuscation. I challenge myself to use new words in a sentence once a day if I can. What a bunch of malarkey, you say? Better than resorting to obfuscation! Using language that is unclear can be pernicious over time. Say what you mean and mean what you say, I say!

And of course I am a huge lover of the Word that was with God, the Word that was God, from the very beginning of existence.

So when I read today’s lectionary, the beauty of the words jumped out at me and made me want to just post the Scripture without commentary. Who can possibly add to these vibrant images of rain and snow coming down from heaven to water the earth? What words could enhance the picture of water bringing forth seed to the sower and bread to the eater? Isaiah is a master wordsmith. Just pause for a moment and drink this in:

Isaiah 55 (New Revised Standard Version)

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose
    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

God promised his children that just as the rain comes to earth for a purpose, so does his word. Rain waters replenish the soil and help things grow before they return to heaven. God’s word is poured out on his people and accomplishes its purpose before it returns to him. You can count on this.

12 For you shall go out in joy
    and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall burst into song,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

The notion of going out in joy and being led back in peace to God’s promises is a pure moment of refreshment to the weary soul and a reminder of hope to all who wait for the deliverance that God’s word brings. God’s word is an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. From the earth to eternity and back again, God’s promises are good.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle,
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
    for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

God is pouring out his word to you today. It might be a word of hope or correction. It might be a call to action or an invitation to rest. Whatever it is, it will not return to him void.

Are you listening?

Baby Osprey by Michelle Robertson

Come

Posted on by Betsy

What do you reach for when you are thirsty? Your answer may reveal where you live. Is it sweet tea? Welcome to the south! Do you get a “soda” or a “pop”? Years ago I discovered that there are parts of the country that call every type of soda “Coke”. Speaking for this Yankee, that is super confusing. For a lot of us, the day can’t even start until we’ve had that first-in-the-morning mug of hot coffee. A few Sundays ago, I watched a friend react to a sermon where the preacher talked about giving up coffee for Lent. She looked like a giant rat had just run across her feet. I shared in her horror.

Our beautiful passage today comes from Isaiah. Isaiah is my favorite book in the Bible, and this Scripture is one of the reasons I love it so much. It is lush in imagery, full of hope, rich in content, and offers a bottomless cup of cool water to our parched souls today:

Isaiah 55 (New International Version)

“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.

The invitation is to come and partake of the waters that the Lord is offering. Jesus may have been referencing this passage in John 7 when he said “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” It makes sense that we are invited to buy wine and milk at no cost … Jesus has already paid the price. He offers us the waters of salvation, wholeness, forgiveness, and LIFE.

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.

Isaiah reminds us that too often we thirst after things that can never satisfy. Wealth. Status. Popularity. Beauty. Power. God offers us the richest of fare if we come thirsting after his righteousness. Will we accept?

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.”

Isaiah reminds Israel that they have thirsted after the wrong things in their pursuit of unholy allies. The better alliance is found with the Lord, who endows Israel 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.

In the end, we have to remember that God knows what we need and he will provide for us. But we need to hunger and thirst only for him … otherwise, we will continue to fill ourselves up with the empty calories of worldly living.

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.

What do you thirst after today? Be sure to drink a cup of Jesus. What a blessing it is to know that when we seek the Lord, he will be found. God is near to us when we call out for him. Do you need his help? Call out! God will hear you and respond with mercy and pardon.

Jesus invites us to come to the waters, where we will never be thirsty again.

Come to the Waters by Michelle Robertson

Thirsty?

Posted on by Betsy

Thirst is an issue in these dog days of summer. Being outside for even a nano-second (with mascara melting and sunglasses fogging) is an instant dehydrator. Here on the Outer Banks the relentless heat index has made us feel as though we are living on the surface of the sun. Just getting to the car to go grocery shopping is thirsty work.

Have you ever considered the things people thirst after that aren’t hydration? Some people thirst after fame. Some thirst after power. Some thirst for wealth. Others for equality and inclusion. Some things are worthy of our thirst and others are frivolous. We can either drink the clear and healthy water that sustains us and helps us thrive, or we can try to satisfy ourselves with sugary soda pop. God has created us to know a good thirst from a bad one, and to seek to satisfy that thirst with healthy things rather than waste our resources on things that will never satiate us.

But we still keep reaching for the soda pop.

God has a better offer.

Isaiah 55 (Contemporary English Version)

If you are thirsty,
    come and drink water!
If you don’t have any money,
    come, eat what you want!
Drink wine and milk
    without paying a cent.
2 Why waste your money
    on what really isn’t food?
Why work hard for something
    that doesn’t satisfy?
Listen carefully to me,
and you will enjoy
    the very best foods.

I think the conflict we face is between taking a quick and easy fix for our problems or accepting the free grace and mercy that the Lord offers.

I know a woman who is struggling in her marriage. Her alcohol consumption exacerbates the situation. She knows that. Night after night she chooses to drink, which causes her to say critical and harsh things to her spouse. She recognizes that she is invited to drink from the Living Water that is Christ, who offers patience, perseverance, and forgiveness, but that would require sobriety. Christ alone is able to quench her thirst, but instead she drinks from the wasteful bottle of avoidance and anger, which will never, ever satisfy.

3 Pay close attention!
    Come to me and live.
I will promise you
the eternal love and loyalty
    that I promised David.
4 I made him the leader and ruler
of the nations;
    he was my witness to them.

No matter what you are thirsting after today, God has an unlimited well of goodness that is offered without price. His healing mercies flow from the font of the resurrection. When you drink freely of the water he has to offer, you will be blessed with a life that provides the very best foods of peace, wholeness, and contentment.

Thirsty? Try Jesus. Come to him and live and you will receive the eternal love and loyalty he offers to all. When you drink the Living Water you will never be thirsty again.

The Thirsty Come by Kathy Schumacher

It Will Not Return Empty

Posted on by Betsy

Today is a milestone for At Water’s Edge. For over fifteen straight months, five days a week, you and I have shared a passion for reading God’s Word. The 300th devotional was just published, and that is only because YOU have been faithful to read them. Otherwise, there is no point in writing every day.

I believe God’s word goes where it needs to go and says what it needs to say to those who need to hear it. When I sit down every day, I don’t ever worry about what to write. I have faith that God will speak to us on these pages. I am simply the typist. He has never failed to bring forth a message, and when we receive it, he allows it to grow in our hearts.

And that perspective is biblical! Look what showed up in today’s lectionary:

Isaiah 55 (New Revised Standard Version)

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Here is where we can take comfort in knowing that our daily pursuit of scripture intake will bless and prosper us. Even when a passage is challenging or seems to not be relevant, it will show up later in our lives if we are faithful in allowing it to take root where God has planted it.

And the result? Peace. Joy. Everlasting hope.

12 For you shall go out in joy,
    and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall burst into song,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

God’s word never returns empty. It plants seeds that grow into sturdy trees of discipleship. And then you take that seed and plant it in someone else’s life, and it grows some more. When we are filled with his Word, we can never be cut off from his love.


13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
    for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

So THANK YOU, faithful reader, for going on this crazy journey with me. Thank you for sharing these posts. I cherish you more than you will ever know.

Come

Posted on by Betsy

Isn’t it exciting to be invited to come to a party or event? Back when all invitations were delivered by mail, it was a thrill to open that small colored envelope that indicated an invitation to a baby shower, birthday party, graduation ceremony, or some other special event. Receiving an invitation was the height of inclusion. Somebody wanted YOU. Your presence was requested. The party would not be the same without you, so COME.

God is the ultimate invitation-giver. The entire bible might be summed up in the word “come.” Come to me, all you weary people. Come to me and rest. Come and be healed. Come and find peace. Just come.

In the 55th chapter of Isaiah, we receive a beautiful invitation. This one is offered to the thirsty, the poor, the hungry, and the people of every nation:

Isaiah 55 (New International Version)

“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.”

Even the wicked are invited to come, and we are all invited to seek the Lord. Mercy is found when people seek God.

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.

In the mystery of this universal invitation, all are invited to come for pardon. This may confuse us. We may question the offer of pardoning to the evil ones who have brought so much destruction to others. Yet God reserves the right to invite whomever he pleases…and it is not for us to question. His thoughts and ways are far higher than ours.

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.

So we have two jobs today. One is to accept the invitation to come before the Lord and receive all of his mercy, pardon, and blessing. The other is to extend that invitation to the most vulnerable and hurting among us. Go, and do likewise. Or better still, come.

Come and See the Beauty of Creation by Wende Pritchard