This morning I read Isaiah 55. Not once, not twice, but thrice! After I read it the first time, I thought, I need to read that again. After i read it again i thought, man, i really need to read that again. I didn't want to miss what the Lord was trying to show me. I could go verse by verse and describe what was shown to me- wait- maybe i'll actually do that. ( I will say that in some verses, i got more out of than others- but that doesn't mean the other ones don't say anything important- they do)
Verse 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. COME! When we come to Christ, He can fulfill our every need; whether it may be physical, spiritual, emotional, or what ever need you have-HE-can fulfill it.
Verse 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.
Why spend money on things that, you know, will not bring satisfaction? or at least long-lasting satisfaction. When we listen to what God says, it says we WILL delight in the RICHEST of fare (food, diet).
Verse 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.an EVERLASTING covenant..not one that only lasts a few days, weeks, months or years- but an EVERLASTING covenant....of what? His FAITHFUL love.
Verse 4:See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples.
In conjunction with verse 3, this is what God says He has already made David into-God's plan for David came about in God's timing. David became a witness to God's everlasting covenant AND God's FAITHFUL LOVE that was PROMISED!!!!! not maybe..but PROMISED.
Verse 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.” This verse was interesting to me for a reason. Correct me if i'm wrong, but this verse is saying that we will be calling nations we don't know, and nations we don't know will be coming to us- BECAUSE OF THE LORD; for HE has endowed (or enriched) us with SPLENDOR. The nations will all be coming because of what the Lord has done in our lives.
Verse 6: Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. This verse is confusing to me. While we do seek the Lord, is there ever a time when he isn't being found by those who are calling out to Him? Is there a time when He isn't near to His people? Isn't HE always being found when his people call on Him, and when unbelievers are drawn to him too? Isn't he always near when his people call on him and when unbelievers call on him too?
Verse 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. Maybe this verse is in conjunction with verse 6. When the wicked and the unrighteous forsake their ways and thoughts- and turn to the Lord- he WILL have mercy on them, he WILL be found by them, and they WILL call on Him and He WILL draw near to them- when they are repentant.
Verse 8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. Obviously this is so. As much as we plan and plan what we think is going to happen in our lives, God says- My plans are better than yours. As much as we think, God says- My thoughts are better than your thoughts. When will that idea finally be ingrained in to our minds? #challengeyouandmyself
Verse 9: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. As much as we think that our ideas are the best, there is still a higher opinion that is always right. God's ways are higher and better than ours- thought we may not understand his ways, we know that they ARE better than what we could ever imagine.
Verse 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, snow and rain come to the earth with a purpose- watering the earth and helping flowers to grow--> rain is always essential for plants to grow and be nourished....
Verse 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. God's word WILL NOT RETURN TO HIM VOID. See, this is so cool. God says that his own word will accomplish what He desires and what he purposes. And to think, He calls us to join Him in something he can do Easily. When he sent His word to us, He meant to accomplish what He desires and purposes in our lives and in the lives of others. (really verse 10 and 11 go together-if you couldn't tell. :) )
Verse 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. the cool thing about this verse is that it says you WILL go out in JOY and be led for in PEACE. It's cool that we'll go out in joy, and be lead in peace that God's word will accomplish all what God desires. The coolest thing to me about the Bible is that God's word will NOT return to him void. It's HIS word anyway, He uses it for HIS glory alone. To be successful soldiers of the faith, we need to know HOW to use the Sword of the Spirit.
Verse 13: Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”
In this chapter, the last verse is like the icing on the cake. Instead of something bad (thornbush), a juniper plant will grow; instead of prickly pointy briers, a myrtle tree with pretty flowers grows on it- WHY all this? FOR the Lord's renown-an everlasting sign that will endure forever. ALWAYS.
