Tuesday December 2

Isaiah 55 (New International Version)

Isaiah 55
Invitation to the Thirsty
1 "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 your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

3 Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul 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 leader and commander of the peoples.

5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will hasten 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 his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
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 pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD's renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed."

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What hit me profoundly today was verses 10 and 11. I was reading this to my class of second graders. As I began to read I wondered why I was reading this to 7 and 8 year olds. They couldn't possibly understand this. Why did you prompt me to do this God? Then I read verses 10. I will teach the water cycle later this year and I can point it out in the Bible. And then verse 11 it hit me. His word will not return void! I may not see it - but He will - He knows why I am reading this to them. They need to hear the Bible verses, not just in admonition, not just for memory work, not just to 'learn something', not to understand everything, but also just to hear, the lilt and cadence of it all, and to hear God speaking to them. That is a small part of why I am doing this,

And secondly - John 1 tells us that Jesusa - Yeshua - is the Word made Flesh - and He didn't return to Heaven without accomplishing His mission - and when He returns He will have another mission to accomplish.