Come, All Una Wey Thirst Dey Catch

One busy market. Sellers dey shout dia price. Water! Wine! Fresh milk! And then one voice rise pass all di oda ones with one strange offer. Come buy. But you no need money. Na free.

Isaiah chapter fifty-five come right after di songs about God servant wey suffer. God people don pass through terrible times: war, destruction and exile. Plenty of dem don settle down for life far from home and dem dey try manage am, dem dey work hard, dey make money, dey buy wetin dem fit buy. But dia inside still empty. So God talk to dem di way street seller dey call people for market, di kind seller wey every listener know. For di old world, notin dey free. You go pay di water seller for water, you go pay for wine, for milk. But God offer turn di market upside down.

“Hey! Come, everybody wey thirst dey catch, come to di water! Come, you wey no get money, buy, and chop! Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.” You no get money? Come like dat. Then God ask one question wey dey search heart. “Why una dey spend money for wetin no be bread, and una labour for wetin no dey satisfy?” Why una dey work so hard for tins wey no dey ever full una belle? “Listen to me well-well, and chop wetin good, and make your soul enjoy di best. Turn your ear, and come meet me. Hear, and your soul go live.” Di real food na to listen to God. Di real drink na to come meet am.

And God make one promise. “I go make covenant wey go last forever with una, di sure mercies of David.” You remember di promise to King David, say im house and im throne go last forever? God dey talk say dat faithful love never finish. E still dey sure. And through David line, nations wey you no know go run come meet you, because of di Lord your God. Then di invitation come urgent. “Find di Lord while una fit still find am. Call am while e dey near. Make di wicked leave im way, and make e return to di Lord, and e go get mercy for am; to our God, because e go forgive freely.” Freely. Just like di free water and wine.

But, you fit ask, how God fit forgive with dis kind open hand? God answer: “My thoughts no be una thoughts, and una ways no be my ways. Because as heaven high pass earth, na so my ways high pass una ways.” And then God give one picture from di weather. “As rain dey fall and snow from sky, and e no dey go back there, but e dey water di earth, and make am grow and bring out bud, and give seed to di farmer and bread to di person wey dey chop; na so my word wey comot from my mouth be: e no go return to me empty.” God word dey always do wetin e send am to do. And di chapter end with joy: una go comot with joy, and dem go lead una with peace. Di mountains and di hills go burst into singing, and all di trees for di field go clap dia hands. Instead of thorn, cypress tree go grow. Hundreds of years after, Jesus stand up for one festival for Jerusalem and e shout: If thirst dey catch anybody, make e come meet me and drink.

Isaiah picture of rain wey dey water di earth go mean plenty to di people wey dey listen. For di land of Israel, almost all di rain dey fall for di cold months, from around October reach April. Di hot season long and dry finish. Farmers dey wait with worry for di early rain for di end of di year, wey dey soften di ground for ploughing, and di late rain for di early part of di year, wey dey make di grain full. Bible call dem di former rain and di latter rain. Without dem, no harvest.

Come, all una wey thirst dey catch. You go find am for Isaiah chapter fifty-five. God best gifts na free, im mercy dey sure, and im word no dey ever come back empty. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin you dey spend your time and power on top wey no dey really satisfy you, and how you fit come meet God instead?