Dinner with Our Maker

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.

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.

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.

4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,

a ruler and commander of the peoples.

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.”

6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.

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.

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

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,

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.

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.

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.”

I love going out to dinner.  I enjoy the idea of getting out and letting someone else do the work. :)  And, it's fun to have foods that you don't always have at home.  The company is always enjoyable, too. 

Isaiah 55 is an invitation to us from our Maker to come to dinner.  Amazing, huh?  Can you imagine GOD asking you to dinner?  I'd be sooo nervous!  I think it would take forever to get ready, changing my clothes at least 10 times!  Then, what would I say?  Would it come out right?  Too many thoughts, so little time!

But, He doesn't care about that.  AND, he offers to pay!  How often does that happen?!  Verses 1-2 share His invitation and the end of verse 2 promises that you will dine on the richest fare!  Far better than Olive Garden, I'm sure!

So, I decided to go!  What is the first thing that is served?  Water, of course!  This is a fancy restaurant, remember?  My Maker quenches my thirst!  Drinking of the living water is far greater than I could ever imagine.  Even in the most difficult of days, after the most draining of experiences, my Maker offers me living water that ALWAYS quenches my thirst!

Well, next we have to order, of course.  Verses 6-7 say to "seek the Lord while He is near."  Ordering off of the menu is much like seeking Him.  He will offer you the richest fare, but He won't force you to choose Him.  You must "order" what you desire out of the greatest, most comprehensive "menu" ever---the Bible.  Ask and you will receive!  The waiter in a restaurant doesn't guess what you want.  You must tell him.  Same with our Maker.

When our order arrives, the food is absolutely amazing!  You've heard it said before that something was "to die for".  But, I believe the food that God provides me is something "to live for"!  Verses 10-11 tell us that His word will accomplish the purpose for which He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it.  He provides nourishment, sustenance and life to all those who seek Him.

At the end of this amazing meal must be dessert, right?!  Look no further than verse 12: "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace".....aaaahhhh! It just doesn't get better than this!

The next time you go out to eat, take time to remember what the Lord offers to us freely on a daily basis.