[My word] will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire. Isaiah 55:11
On Christmas Eve 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts—Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders—became the first humans to enter lunar orbit. As they circled the moon ten times, they shared images of the moon and the Earth. During a live broadcast, they took turns reading from Genesis 1. At the fortieth anniversary celebration, Borman said, “We were told that on Christmas Eve we would have the largest audience that had ever listened to a human voice. And the only instructions that we got from NASA was to do something appropriate.” The Bible verses spoken by the Apollo 8 astronauts still plant seeds of truth into the listening hearts of people who hear the historical recording.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God says, “Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live” (Isaiah 55:3). Revealing His free offer of salvation, He invites us to turn from our sin and receive His mercy and forgiveness (vv. 6–7). He declares the divine authority of His thoughts and His actions, which are too vast for us to truly understand (vv. 8–9). Still, God gives us opportunity to share His life-transforming words of Scripture, which point to Jesus, and affirm that He is responsible for the spiritual growth of His people (vv. 10–13).
The Holy Spirit helps us share the gospel as the Father fulfills all His promises according to His perfect plan and pace.
6 Seekb the Lord while he may be found;c
calld on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsakee their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.f
Let them turng to the Lord, and he will have mercyh on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.i
8 “For my thoughtsj are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”k
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,l
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.m
10 As the rainn and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,o
so that it yields seedp for the sower and bread for the eater,q
11 so is my wordr that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,s
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purposet for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joyu
and be led forth in peace;v
the mountains and hills
will burst into songw before you,
and all the treesx of the field
will clap their hands.y
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briersz the myrtlea will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,b
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
INSIGHT
- Who will you share Scripture with today?
- Who first shared the Bible with you?
In Isaiah 55, God invites His people to avail themselves of the salvation He offers. In verses 6–7, God calls the wicked to seek Him, saying that those who repent will find mercy and pardon. This section is connected to the next section (vv. 8–13) with the simple word for (v. 8), which signals a relationship between the two; the second section explains the first. The people can rest in the promise of deliverance and forgiveness because God’s thoughts are higher than theirs. He’s reminding them that even if they don’t understand how He’s working, they can trust Him to provide salvation to those who repent.
PRAYER
Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the world, please give me opportunities daily to share Your wisdom. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Isaiah 55:6-13 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Habakkuk 1-3; Revelation 15
