“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters….” Isaiah 55:1a
The scorching heat of Texas summer days often forced my sister and me out to the yard to find relief in a water hose or sprinkler. That was before the above-ground pool days that provided great family enjoyment and a cool-down for us all.
Sure, the hose and sprinkler helped cool us, but we were frequently interrupted because of knots, kinks, and tangles in the water hose. The stream of water would abruptly halt, and we would run to find the problem and straighten the hose so that the water could continue to flow.
When the scorching heat reached the big northern cities, it would make the evening news. I remember watching children in New York City laughing and dancing in a gushing cascade of water spraying from an opened fire hydrant. Wow! What lucky kids! Our often-kinking water hose was feeble in comparison.
I thought about those water hose days when I was reading a passage in Isaiah 55.
In Isaiah 55, God called out to His thirsty, starving, and wayward people…
“Listen diligently to Me…Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live….”
Isaiah 55:2-3
Jesus echoed this message in Matthew 5:6…
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Matthew 5:6
God was talking about soul thirst and a hunger of the spirit. During Isaiah’s long prophetic ministry, God’s rebellious people had once again strayed spiritually far away from their God. Many Jews from Israel had already been taken into Babylonian captivity, and Judah would eventually follow suit.
Isaiah warned the nation of Judah that time was limited. God’s invitation had an expiration date.
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.”
Isaiah 55:6
Turn away now from your wicked ways. Ask God for forgiveness. Beg for His compassion and mercy. Know that He will joyfully and abundantly pardon and accept you. God wants to forgive. He wants to restore you. (v. 7 paraphrase)
Transcendent God, whose thoughts and ways are far beyond that of any person, told the people of Judah, that He controls the water flow. He can kink the hose, He can turn it off. But what He wants for His people is a fire hydrant of blessing.
If His people would return to Him, abundant rain and snow would water the land. The land would produce bountiful harvests, seeds for future crops, and food for all the people. God wanted blessings in abundance for His people.
“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 shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11
There is certainty in God’s promises. There is no maybe. What God says will be. The prophet delivers God’s message that repentance and return to Him would result in God’s blessing and favor.
God’s message given to the people of Judah long ago is extended in its fullness to us today.
So we should ask ourselves – is my soul thirsty? Does my spirit feel parched? Do I feel like I’m drinking from an often-kinked water hose?
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not talking about money, possessions, or a lavish lifestyle – temporary perishables, at best.
I’m talking about experiencing the blessings of God that bring abiding joy, true peace of mind, deepening love for God and others, growing richness in all matters of the spirit, and unfailing confidence in our Lord and Savior.
How are we supposed to lay down our drying, tangled water hose and step up to an vibrant, gushing fire hydrant?
God gives us the answer in verse 11 that I quoted above, we need to be in the Word to hear His Word. It’s hard to hear someone talking to you when you are in two different locations (and you’re not using an electronic device of some sort). If you want to hear God speak, you need to be in the place where He is speaking – His Word.
Here’s what I see in Isaiah 55:11 –
– God’s Word is ALIVE – is comes directly from His lips
– God’s Word is ACTIVE – it’s on the move
– God’s Word is ARRESTING – it won’t go back to Him empty-handed
– God’s Word is ADEPT – it will do what needs to be done to do God’s Will
– God’s Word is ACCOMPLISHED – it will do what God sends it out to do
– God’s Word ABOUNDS – it flourishes and is abundant in its productivity – overflowing – it’s a gushing fire hydrant
Friend, are you drinking from the bounty of a fire hydrant or trickles from a snarled water hose?
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts… For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:7, 12-13