Will Not Return Empty

In the prophet Isaiah, we read this promise:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
     and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
 making it bring forth and sprout,
     giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
     it shall not return to me empty… (Isaiah 55:10-12)

On one level, this was God’s promise to the Jewish exiles in Babylon: You’re coming home. If I’ve promised it, if the word has come out of my mouth, and it has, you can count on it! But the promise is then expanded, and there is more…

It is also a promise that somehow, in some way, God’s word is nourishing – like rain or snow; that somehow, in some way, once it’s out there, God will use this word to bring flourishing, salvation, and wholeness. Somehow, in some way, God’s word will be bread for the hungry and water for the thirsty soul… 

Think about your own life. Those times when God’s word has touched you in a certain way. Maybe in worship – or through music. Maybe you were sitting in worship one Sunday morning and something struck you. And you felt God’s peace… or grace unexpected…or a sense of being challenged. Or maybe you heard God’s word or saw God’s word being lived out through another person, perhaps a parent or a grandparent, a coach, a mentor, or a friend. Maybe it hit you immediately, or perhaps years down the line.

I don’t know how, and I don’t understand the timetable, but I do believe that whenever we receive this word, or share this word, however, we might do that, a seed is planted… and God will use it…. Even if we don’t understand how, or when…

My prayer for you today is that you would continue to create the space and time to receive God’s word in your life… Allow that word to guide you and nourish you. And, may you come to see that whenever you share this word with others, however you might do that, a seed is planted… and you’ve done your part… It is God who brings the rain. It is God who knows the seasons of the heart… And it is God who brings the seed to harvest.

Let us pray: Gracious God, as we receive your word, so may we be nourished. As we are nourished, may we in turn nourish others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.