Readings click to read
WORD AMONG US WAU.ORG Reflections
Daily Meditation: Isaiah 55:10-11
My word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)
When it rains in Germany, many parents tell their children, “You’re not made of sugar!” It is a humorous way of encouraging them to go outside in spite of the bad weather. In other countries, people say, “At least the crops are happy!” As today’s first reading suggests, rain and snow help to make soil “fertile and fruitful,” and everything that grows from the earth benefits as well (Isaiah 55:10). In that passage, God compares the effect that the rain and snow have on the soil with the work that his word has on our lives: it “shall do my will” and “[achieve] the end for which I sent it” (55:11).
The Israelites who first heard this prophecy would have heard God’s reassurance that they would truly be brought back from exile and restored to their homeland. As we hear this word today, we can also receive God’s assurance that his word in Scripture can have a good effect on our lives and lead us to our true home.
As water touches soil, it softens the ground and enables seeds to sprout and roots to deepen. So, too, God’s word softens our hearts. Where we might harbor prideful or bitter thoughts, his word opens our eyes to the depth of his love and enables us to let go of those attitudes that hold us back.
Similarly, snow adds to the soil a layer of protection from the extreme cold. And as it melts, it provides a gentle, deep watering for the earth. Likewise, God’s word protects us, even in the most impossible or difficult circumstances, and it establishes us in the truth that he is faithful and trustworthy. Most of all, as it penetrates the deepest places of our heart, his word accomplishes what it set out to do. So ponder God’s word today and every day. Welcome it as the earth welcomes the rain and the snow!
“Lord, may your word nourish and transform me today!”
Psalm 65:10-14
Romans 8:18-23
Matthew 13:1-23
