God Still Creating – Isaiah 55

A text – Isaiah 55:10-13

55:10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
55:11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
55:12 For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
55:13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

A reflection:

The Lord is proclaiming here through Isaiah that the word of God is to us like water is to the earth. Water allows all things to grow and thrive. Without it they wither. And for human beings, God’s word, like water, allows us to grow and thrive. Without it we wither.

Because God is forever speaking God’s word, in creation and to us, we never have to worry about drought. And God never has to worry about having done an empty gesture in sending us God’s word, because it will always accomplish its purpose and multiply its effect.

These days we don’t talk a lot about what God is doing every day in the world. But creation is an ongoing activity and God does it every single day. Things God causes to bloom and grow bring us beauty and sustenance. And if we believe God is creating a trustworthy world every single day, we might actually go out and take a look at what is happening. If we don’t go out to look, we might miss it.

I haven’t seen trees clapping their hands lately, but I have seen people reaching out in kindness to one another, families who have been separated coming together, and the love that is shared among these folk bearing witness to other onlooking folks that something beautiful is happening right before their eyes.

All these good things are the result of God continuing to create a trustworthy world. How are you part of that effort? How are you co-creating with God a trustworthy world today?

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for continuing to create a trustworthy world every day. You are the creator of the universe, yet you also tend it so that we may thrive in your great love. Help us to see it, appreciate it, and participate in your mission.  Amen.