Monday Devotional: March 17, 2025

Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:1-5(NRSVUE)

¹ Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your earnings for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. ³ Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. ⁴ See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. ⁵ Now you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

Our journey in the desert continues as we hear God’s voice calling people to come and drink the waters. Written almost 600 years before Christ’s birth, Isaiah’s words point to the everlasting covenant and reign of the Messiah. The words issue an invitation of salvation and blessing, echoed by Jesus when he offers the Samaritan woman his “living water” (John 4:10-14).

Unlike the psalmist who acknowledged his deep thirst for God (Psalm 63:1), Isaiah urges his readers to act. The repetitive use of verbs such as come, listen, spend, and eat calls them from apathy to action. These verses express a warning worth heeding. What keeps us away from God’s life-giving water is ignorance of our own deep need for God. Verse 2 deals with one factor that can lead us to this dangerous position- trying to quench our thirst and satisfy our hunger with “that which does not satisfy.”

As a parent, I’ve often had to warn my children against eating sugary candy before dinner time; if they do, they will lose their appetite for my nourishing meal. Similarly, Isaiah’s words warn us away from things that are “not bread.”

We find ourselves surrounded by empty treats that, like brightly colored candies, look inviting and entice us to temporary fulfillment. These temptations differ for each of us. As a writer, I struggle with the allure of people’s recognition and praise, which may offer a temporary “sugar high” but ultimately does not satisfy. The Holy One has to remind me to use my writing to honor God alone rather than fulfill my need for approval.

Let us use this Lenten period to identify prayerfully the “candy” in our lives, those things that are “not bread” and do “not satisfy” and keep us from thirsting and hungering for God.

Prayer

Lord, show me what I use to try to quench my thirst and assuage my hunger, instead of turning to you. Amen.

By Joan Campbell, The Upper Room Disciplines 2016, page 75.

Bible Study

“Embracing Life” By Von W. Unruh

Unit 1: Beatitudes for Lent

Session Title: From Grief to Joy
Focal Passage: Matthew 5:4, Luke 7:11-17
Purpose Statement: To how our mourning connects us with Jesus’ compassion.

Questions:

• What grief have you experienced? How has it changed over time?
• Where do you see resurrection power in the midst of loss and grief in your life and in our world?
• Where is Jesus coming to you in compassion and speaking a word of comfort to you? Where is Jesus telling you to get up?

Zoom Session

Monday, March 17, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

(For Zoom Link, send an email to [email protected])

In-Person Session

Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, Conference Room, McGee Building.