1 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
12 “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
For Reflection:
I admit that an economy of free sounds impossible. My pride can tell me that it is my own hard work that earns me what I have in life - food, material possessions, acceptance, self-worth. What is it that I am trying to earn on my own in this season of life? My fear can tell me that what I do earn I must hold onto tightly. What is it that I am afraid to lose right now? I hold these things loosely as I consider God’s thoughts that are higher than mine. He invites me to imagine a different way, even one that seems impossible to me. A world of abundance where everyone is fed, “it’s all free!”. A world where I don’t have to earn my place because I already have it as chosen and precious by God (1 Peter 2:4). A reality of joy and peace, of all of creation worshiping it’s Maker. What would it look like to relinquish those things that I hold onto? What would it be like to give up my thoughts for His? What would that do to my thoughts, my attitudes, my vision of this world, my actions as I interact with his chosen and precious children and His singing creation? I let myself abide in His thoughts for this moment.
Let us pray:
Lord, you are so gracious. There is so much abundance in Your ways and You give it freely. Thank you. Still, it can be hard to let go of control, of my own thoughts and ways, of the messages that bombard me from all over. I relinquish my own ways for Your ways that are so much higher than mine, even when I don’t fully understand them. Bring to mind specific areas where you are inviting me to do this. Help me enter into Your ways of abundance, joy and peace so that I may abide there always. I am humbled and honored to get to join with all of creation singing Your greatness. I praise you. Amen.
I wonder how I can refocus on God's invitation to abide in Him today?
I wonder what it feels like when I relinquish my ways for God's ways?