Without Money and Without Cost...

"Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost..."
Isaiah 55: 1-4
NKJV

Once, when I was a young mother, I had gotten on an exercising binge and decided on a blisteringly hot summer day to walk to the store with my young daughter.  Not the wisest choice I ever made!  It was much too hot and, 'back in the day' we didn't carry water bottles everywhere we went!  I made it to the store fine (or so I thought!) but getting back was another story.  It was probably about a five mile walk round trip, which was too much to do in the blazing noon day sun.  By the time I got home, I had a very angry daughter on my hands (she complained all the way there, and all the way home!) and I was dangerously dehydrated.  I could barely make it to the couch.  My body was in trouble.  I needed water in a way I had never encountered before.  I could not get enough of it and I could not get it fast enough.  I was as dry as a bone.  I was desperately thirsty and guzzled water as if it were gold. 

I believe this is the kind of thirst Isaiah is referring to here.  The extravagant generosity of God comes through so loudly to me in this tender invitation - Come - Come - Come, to the waters...Without money and without cost...  He, Himself, has promised to satisfy our thirst with Living Waters that never run dry.  And it is completely free for the taking!  He has already paid the price for us to drink deep and long at His well.

But, we do have to be thirsty.  In America today, it is so easy to satisfy our thirst with junk that fills us up so that we never crave a drink that really gives life.  God is calling us and we barely notice.  Have you ever been in that place where God was beginning to get your attention on something?  You are beginning to notice something is missing in your life.  You are feeling dry.  Something inside is dying.  God is whispering your name.  He is singing a love song over you.  He is drawing you - "Come to the Living Waters..."

At a moment like that, we can either run to Him and admit we are dying without Him, or we can run in another direction and ignore His call.  It is so easy to satisfy our thirst for Him with artificial drinks of pleasure: Alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping endlessly, entertaining ourselves into oblivion.  We are masters of escapism.  We can delude ourselves right into a denial that is dangerous - denying that we are dying of thirst for the only One who can truly meet our need.  This must grieve the heart of God so deeply.  He offers us the best there is and we often choose to ignore Him.  To our peril.  To our everlasting peril...

I hope you stop long enough today to consider the question - are you thirsty today?  Thirsty for the Living Waters that Jesus offers you?  Or are you running in the other direction?  If so, stop and hear Him calling your name.  He loves you and offers you water that will restore your soul.  Drink long and deep.  It's free - you don't need a dime to purchase it.  He has already paid the price in full...