TODAY’S VERSE:
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and He who has no money, come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why 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. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.” (Isaiah 55:1-3a ESV)
TODAY’S THOUGHT:
In the passage above, God calls out to hungry people and bids them to come and eat; He calls out to thirsty people and bids them to come and drink. He urges them, though they are poor and needy and have nothing to bring to the table, to come and satisfy their hunger and their thirst and to freely partake of a feast. But although God uses the imagery of bread, and wine, and milk, the invitation He extends to them is not to a physical feast but to a spiritual feast; to come into His presence and listen to the words He speaks that they might find true soul satisfaction. Three times He bids them to listen diligently to him, to incline their ear to him, and to draw near and hear Him and in so doing, to delight themselves in life-giving, soul-nourishing food. God speaks and invites them to experience intimacy with himself. If we fast wisely, we will not merely turn away from the foods we typically eat, but we will turn toward God and listen to Him speak from His Word. We will forsake our pride and self-sufficiency and come before Him in all our neediness, ready to receive from all His fullness. We will come humbly yet boldly to the banquet He sets before us, knowing that we could never earn such a feast, but assured that our Savior has paid the full price so that we might partake freely. If we use our time of fasting wisely, it will become a time of feasting on the excellencies of God, who delights to reveals Himself to us as the One who truly satisfies our hunger and quenches our thirst.
TODAY’S REFLECTION:
When you look at your intake of God’s Word, would you say that you neglect it, nibble at it, or truly nourish your soul with it?
© The Factory Church – “21 Days of Prayer and F(e)asting”