Satisfied In God’s Word - Can I Be Satisfied?

“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.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

Incline your ear, and come to me;

hear, that your soul may live;

and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David.”

(Isaiah 55:1-3, ESV)

I have a vivid memory of sitting down to color a picture as a child—probably a rainbow or a field of flowers, my go-to choices—only to remove the lid from the yellow marker and find it unusable. My younger sister had bitten off the tip of the marker.

Marker-eating was not a one-time occurrence for my sister. No matter how many times we reminded her that markers are not food, the vibrant colors just looked so appetizing that she kept coming back for more.

Can you relate to my sister’s craving for nonfood items? As a child you likely tasted your share of crayons, dirt, or bubble bath, but what about now? Do you have an appetite for things that can’t nourish your soul? Are you working yourself to the point of exhaustion for things that look appetizing, but leave you hungry? Admiration or adventure? Control or clout? Security or success?

God’s invitation is to come and be satisfied in soul-nourishing food—no striving required. God’s table doesn’t include only the necessities of bread and water but also the luxurious abundance of wine and milk. The counterfeit food that the world offers comes at a high cost and still does not satisfy. But the feast of God is bountiful and rich, spilling over with everything your soul needs and craves. It’s more than you could ever afford, but God gives you a seat at his table where you can enjoy the feast for free.

How do we partake of this food for which our souls hunger? The clue is in the passage—we eat and delight as we listen, and our souls live as we incline our ears, come to him, and hear. We partake in the meal as we open our Bibles. His Word is the feast. In it we find everything we need to be satisfied—we find hope and purpose and help—we find Jesus. He’s the one who fulfills the everlasting covenant, God’s promise to give us life.

Reflect:

God’s Word nourishes our souls and helps us delight in him. When you come to God’s Word, do you expect a feast? Or do you read your Bible more out of duty than delight? This week, begin your time in God’s Word by asking him to help you “taste and see that [he] is good” (Psalm 34:8).