Isaiah 55:1-3 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. 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. 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.”

Isaiah chapter 55 reminds us that our God is an inviting God. He calls ALL to come to Him. That is, those who are thirsty but cannot pay for what they need AND those who are self sufficient. “The thirsty” describes those who have been looking for something; longing for something; thirsting for something. They may feel like all hope is gone. Their dreams have died. Life was much kinder to them once. It promised them something but it didn’t deliver. As a result, they feel all used up, unfulfilled, and unsatisfied. And yet, somewhere deep down, they believe there has to be something. Only it’s out of reach. They are the spiritually bankrupt and they know it.

To those people God says “Come” and I will fill you up. “Come” and I will satisfy your longings. “Come to Me” and I will heal all your wounds! God invites them to the banquet that is salvation.

The second kind of person mentioned above is the self sufficient and its that self sufficiency that makes it so hard for them to come to Jesus. It’s that self sufficiency that makes it hard for us to learn what God is trying to teach us. Self sufficiency is what makes us resistant to our need for God. Still, God invites the self sufficient to come to Him.

Verse 2 asks them to consider “why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy”. This is what they do. They chase after the things that they believe will bring happiness only to find out once they have them…happiness remains elusive. Verse 2 probably describes most of the people we know. They are laboring, chasing, pursuing, experimenting, jumping from one job to the next, one car to the next, one relationship to the next only to find there is no true satisfaction.

So, maybe if this describes you today, it’s time to stop and be honest with yourself because inside of you there is a hunger that cannot be satisfied by chasing after the wind. You know it! I know it, and God knows it which is why He asked “why do you labor on what does not satisfy”? It’s meaningless! Utterly meaningless (Eccl. 1:2 NIV). However, God offers a solution. It’s found in verse 3. “Come to me, listen that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you”.

He wants us to get down to the heart of the matter and that is our need of Him. We can’t fill the gaping hole inside of us with something else. We were created to have a relationship with God. Only He can fill us up. Only He can nourish our soul, bring strength where strength is needed, joy where joy is needed and hope…hope! So what are you waiting for? Our God is an inviting God.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that WHOSOEVER believeth on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”.

I want you to know that God loves you. He is inviting you to come to Him today. If you do, verse 3 says He will make an everlasting covenant with you. He will take you from a spiritual desert to abundant life. So again, I ask you, what are you waiting for?