ReWater · Listening · Vulnerability
At noon the outdoor market is loud with vendors calling over each other. One voice cuts through, calling anyone who is hungry to come and eat, and saying there is nothing to pay. Some people slow down and look. Most keep walking, sure there must be a catch. What would it take for you to stop and listen?
God speaks through Isaiah to Israel in exile, far from home in Babylon (Isaiah 48:20). He calls out like a vendor in the street. “Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1 WEB). The Hebrew for “Hey!” is hoy, a cry that can mean “Ho!” or “Woe!” Here it calls the thirsty to come.
God’s water is free, and he asks why they keep paying for what does not fill them. “Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness. Turn your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” (Isaiah 55:2-3 WEB). Paul quotes the sure mercies of David when he preaches the resurrection (Acts 13:34).
Spiritual Move: Contemplative Prayer. Sit for ten minutes with your hands open on your lap. Each time your mind wanders, say, “I am listening,” and return to the quiet.
Photo by Anderson Rian on Unsplash