Hungry? Thirsty? Come and Get It!
He provides everything needed to satisfy our soul’s deepest longings, but we can only experience His goodness and grace by listening carefully.
When my kids were young and still living at home, I’d cook our family’s evening meal and then call, “Come and get it!” And come, they would. They were hungry, and they knew their need for food would be satisfied if they ate the meal I’d prepared especially for them.
God calls to us with a similar “Come and get it!” message:
1Come, 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. 2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. (Isaiah 55:1-2)
Some Bible versions begin this verse with the word, “Ho!” It’s a unique little word that signified an important announcement. God wanted His people to listen up because this message mattered. Let’s backtrack for a moment to understand the reason why.
Why “Come and Get It?”
In previous chapters of Isaiah, the prophet told Israel that God was going to punish their enemies, but He was also going to judge them unless they turned from their wickedness back to Him. Despite being His chosen people and prized possession, they broke His covenant with them by turning to idols.
They sought to satisfy their deepest longings with false gods and religious practices and traditions that could never fulfill their needs. They spent their energy and time and money on useless things and pursuits and come up destitute. They knew their nation was headed for troubled times, but upon hearing the prophet proclaim this message from God’s heart to theirs, they also knew they could face the future with hope.
Come and Get What?
God’s invitation to come and get it offered them wine, milk, bread, and rich food. This assured them that one day their relationship with Him would be restored. He would never give up on them even though they’d wandered far from Him.
God extends the same invitation to us today.
“Come and get it if you’re thirsty!” He says.
We don’t need to go through life parched. In fact, we can’t. Without physical water, we perish. Likewise, without spiritual water, we perish. Jesus is the living water, and He alone satisfies our spiritual thirst. Let’s accept his invitation to come to Him and drink deeply of the provision He made for us through His death and resurrection.
“Come and get it even if you have no money,” says God. ”Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”
His invitation extends to everyone hungry for truth and purpose, hope and peace, forgiveness and joy. But it’s also for everyone who realizes his depleted state and utter inability to help himself. His invitation promises provision—we come empty and He fills us. It costs us nothing, but it cost Him everything.
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” God asks.
And that’s a good question. For those of us relying on our own self-sufficiency, why do we rush here and there investing our resources in temporal things that are here today and gone tomorrow?
Why do we work so hard to find fulfillment in things that cannot satisfy our soul’s cravings? Human efforts to satisfy our soul never succeed. Jesus alone knows our deepest needs and, as Jehovah Jireh—our provider—sees to it that they are met.
“Listen diligently to me,” says God. “and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”
He has provided everything needed to satisfy our soul’s deepest longings, but the only way we can experience His goodness and grace comes by listening carefully to His message to us.
Let’s shut out the many voices calling to us in our society and on social media, telling us that we’re not good enough or that we should do whatever makes us happy or that we don’t need God because we’re strong and able to do life on our own terms. Let’s shut out those voices that promise peace and prosperity and power apart from God’s doing.
Let’s get quiet and lean in and listen to God’s instructions about how to do life. Let’s accept His gracious invitation to come and get it. Come empty. Come broken. Come needy. We’ll find everything we need in Him.
May I Pray For You?
“Heavenly Father—You know us better than we know ourselves. You know our deepest needs and how they can best be satisfied. Forgive us for seeking to quench our thirst from sources other than the living water. Forgive us for spending our time and resources and energy on things that are temporal. Forgive us for not listening to You but instead, lending our ear to voices that lead us down the wrong path. Father, change our hearts. We gladly accept Your invitation to come and find our needs met in Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Know you are loved,
Grace
The news headlines tell us that we’re living in unbelievably chaotic days. My latest devotional books provide biblical hope and encouragement when our minds feel like they’re on overload.
Available wherever Christian books are sold or order your autographed copies here.
The news headlines tell us that we’re living in unbelievably chaotic days. My latest devotional books provide biblical hope and encouragement when our minds feel like they’re on overload.
Available wherever Christian books are sold or order your autographed copies here.
