Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“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,
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.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, November 23, 2024
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
God’s word, when spoken and heard, produces abundant fruit. Israel was in exile, and it looked like it would be a long time before they might be restored, if ever. They had lost their homes, their land, their livelihoods, their stability, and even lives. But there was one thing that couldn’t be taken from them—their faith.
Through all of their hardships, God still sent prophets to proclaim words of hope. Nobody could take their worship, their relationship with God, or their faith. These things would have to be nurtured to be sustained, but with fairly little they could produce abundant fruit.
Isaiah said, “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” In other words, they could come to God empty (and their state of exile had emptied them pretty good), and still receive what they needed to survive. Just a word of faith could be spoken and it would return with abundance. God’s word would “accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” It would be up to the people to keep speaking God’s word throughout their exile so that one day it would be fulfilled—they would return to Israel and the journey and destination would be filled with abundant blessing. “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle.”
Sometimes all we have to give or to receive is God’s word. But even that word, when spoken and heard, can be enough to produce hope and anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s promise: one day you will be restored.
