Thirsty to hear

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. Isaiah 55:2 NIV

I asked a co-worker how he spent his time over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I did not get the usual family meals, TV or shopping answer.  He told me that on his small farm one of his donkeys had given birth to a mule.  But the mother had rejected the young foal.  He found the mule laying in the field limp from lack of nourishment.  He called a friend who told him how to mix up some milk and a bottle to begin feeding the newborn.  Twice a day he began feeding the foal.  Although it was 50 miles one way to his farm, he smiled affectionately as he talked about his new friend.

What about the story from the foal’s perspective?  He was rejected at birth.  What should have been a bonding experience with his mother did not occur.  Then he had his first drink from a man whose smell and shape were unfamiliar.  But the drink brought him life.  Now, every day he waits for the sound of the truck approaching.  He looks for the man to appear.  But most of all, he is looking for the bottle.  Without drinking from this bottle, he knows that he would surely die.

Isaiah addresses a person’s most basic need for survival, thirst and hunger.  He reveals that we spend our time and money on all kinds of activities that still leave us thirsty and unsatisfied.  Being in the right relationship, getting the job promotion, having more money or possessions, or gaining degrees and titles will not satisfy the deepest longings in our hearts.

For years, I have interpreted this passage to mean that I need to read the Bible more.  Jesus, himself, said man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  And there are ample scriptures that encourage us to read Gods word daily and to meditate upon it.  But Isaiah takes this a step further.  He says the goal is to “listen” to what God is saying.  The goal of our Bible reading is to “hear” what God is saying to us through His word.  We are not just reading so that we can check it off our to-do list.  We look to encounter God when we read.

When we listen, he will direct us into foods (activities) that bring satisfaction to our lives.  If the bottle is God’s word, listening to his voice of love, direction, guidance, and affection are the milk.  Jesus said that he knows his sheep, he calls them by name and they follow him.  Discerning his voice takes practice.  But he has already put inside us the desire to “long for him”.  Isaiah reminds us to not spend our energy on our own pursuits in life and miss the experience of following God’s lead.  LISTEN, today a mule is waiting for his owner to arrive…for he brings life with him.