Aspirations of Mediocrity?

Isaiah 55:1–7

“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. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

Seek God while he’s here to be found, pray to him while he’s close at hand.  Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking.  Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.

No one ever says, “the theme of my life will be accepting mediocrity” or “my whole life will be about settling for less.”  Isaiah is trying to remind people who have settled for much less that God has more for them than they have come to accept.  He is speaking to a people who have spent generations in exile and he is trying to prepare them for their return to their homeland.  Many who heard this message did not wish to return.  They had decided to stay in the difficult position they were in rather than find freedom in the invitation God was preparing them for in their return.

Do you ever do the same thing?  Do you ever cling to what is known even though the unknown could be better?  Have you ever traded your resources for additional creature comforts instead of investing in what could be a better future?  Have you ever settled for a comfortable faith instead of risking trusting God for something that you can’t see yet?  I know I have done all those things.  So Isaiah’s questions cut me to the core. 

And that is the purpose of a faithful prophet – to push us toward what God has for us even when we don’t want to go there physically, emotionally, or spiritually.  Isaiah is trying to help us remember a time when we aspired to greater purpose and expanding faith and remind us that with God, it is never too late to embrace those dreams again.  Can you hear the invitation? How will you respond?

Prayer:  Help me see the ways that I have settled for a comfortable faith Lord.  Restore my longing for more of what you already want to give me. Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for those who are struggling with mental illness today.

Song:  An Irish Blessing