TO CHEW ON: "Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat!" Isaiah 55:1
Have you ever been very, very thirsty? What did you want more than anything?
Thirst is our body’s way of telling us we need water. In fact we would eventually die if we didn’t get the water we needed.
In today’s reading, though, when Isaiah invites thirsty people to come to water, he isn’t talking about physical thirst. He’s talking about a thirst in our hearts. Perhaps you have felt such a thirst. It might come as a fear in the night - wondering what would happen to you if you died. It might come as a need for love, praise, popularity or excitement. It might come as a desire to do something big and important in your life.
When that thirst comes, you could try to satisfy it with a variety of drinks. You could work hard at school to get the best marks so that people will praise you. You could dress in the latest clothes so that you will fit in with the cool crowd and be popular. You could work at sports or take up skateboarding or mountain bike racing to satisfy your thirst for excitement. But none of those things will satisfy you for long.
Isaiah told the people where to go for a drink that really satisfied. He told them to seek the Lord. If Isaiah were here today, he would tell us the same thing. God is still the only One who can satisfy the thirsts of our heart in a lasting way.
What is your heart thirsty for? Come to God thirsty and see how He fills you up.
PRAYER: Dear God, I come to You with my life. You see my thirst for _______. Please satisfy it in the way You choose. Amen.
MORE: Thirsty for a Friend (A true story)
Helen had no friends. She had come to Canada from Europe as a refugee. She dressed differently and spoke with an accent. When the kids chose partners in gym class, she was always the last one picked. When she went home on the school bus, no one talked to her.
One afternoon after another lonely day in school Helen came home, lay on her bed and began to sob.
Then she sat up. Someone was in her room. Not a person but a Presence so real and loving, she felt hugged. And though she never heard a word, she felt like smiling eyes were looking at her and a voice was saying, “You are my special friend.” Bible words of Jesus came to her mind, “I have chosen you. I will never leave you or forsake you.”
Every day for three months Helen felt the presence of her Unseen Friend. With Him beside her she began to relax and be friendly to the kids in her class. Soon she had other friends too.
Then one day, the Presence was gone. Had she done something bad? Helen confessed every bad thing she could think of. Yet the feeling that her Friend was beside her was gone.
And then she remembered the words she had heard that first day: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” And she knew that God’s presence would be with her always, whether she felt Him or not.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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