Prayer

God of timeless grace,
you fill us with joyful expectation.
Make us ready for the message that prepares the way,
that with uprightness of heart and holy joy
we may eagerly await the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ,
who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Scripture

Isaiah 41:14-20

Fear not, you worm Jacob,
you men of Israel!
I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
¹⁵ Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge,
new, sharp, and having teeth;
you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,
and you shall make the hills like chaff;
¹⁶ you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away,
and the tempest shall scatter them.
And you shall rejoice in the Lord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

¹⁷ When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them;
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
¹⁸ I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
¹⁹ I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
²⁰ that they may see and know,
may consider and understand together,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Meditation

Most of us reading this live in a land of plenty.  We have what we need when we need it and even more.  We can run to the store when we have forgotten some crucial ingredients for a recipe.  We have the ability to order groceries online and have them delivered right to our front door.  We have plenty.  So it can be difficult for us when we hear talk about needing water, our thirst so deep that our tongue is parched.  It is hard to imagine desolation.

We might feel this type of hunger or thirst in our emotional lives.  We may feel that our relationships leave us dry and we are thirsty for something deeper or real.  We may feel like we are without in our relationship or self.  This is an area where we need to see relief.

A cup of water would be sufficient.  A jug of water would be generous.  Isaiah tells us that God is a God who, “¹⁸ I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys.  I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”  He is generous beyond measure.  Those who are thirsty receive more that they can handle.  It seems wasteful to our minds.  Why not just give what they need?

Praise God that He reveals His steadfast love and His power in His provision.  He is audacious in His love for us. Cry out to the one who will over provide.  The one who will give more than you need; He is sufficient and more.