Come and Listen (Blog Description)

I've thought for some time that I should explain my Blog's description, seeing as it could come across very... well, arrogant.
This chapter of scripture is one of my favorites (Is. 55), and has become such through a series of events in the past year. My first memory of hearing it began in a morning chapel at Trinity-where I graduated this past December with my Nursing degree. That same year, I was asked to help organize a couple of our Sunday Night Alive Worship meetings. When it came time for me to lead one week's SNA, I was reminded of the significance and relevance of this passage in Isaiah to our gatherings as a body of believers. Many times in that past month I had come before God broken and humbled, so in need of His grace, and He would gently remind me that He is always ready to receive me-no matter where I've been.

When that Sunday evening came, I prayed that God would welcome each individual into our meeting to realize that they don't have to fight to succeed and be "good enough," but that they can come into His presence just as they are, and all because of Christ. As a university student at a private liberal arts school, and in the highly competitive nursing program, I constantly felt pressure to do my best to achieve in academics and everything, as to honor God. I had many conversations with others who felt pressure to please. So many times, I fall to my knees under this pressure, as God reminds me that I place this pressure on myself, and that He expected so much less of me, again because of Christ. He's just waiting for me to come to Him, not to finish my list of achievements first, or present myself clean-He makes me clean when I come.

That night I asked other students in the room to come forward and share their own stories of God's work in their lives, so that others could come and listen. Then I shared my own reflection on what "come and listen" meant for me. We introduced the song "Come and Listen" by the David Crowder band. This song repeats these words: "Come and Listen, Come and Listen to what He has done." I wanted that night to be an opportunity for us as a body of believers to come together and share what He was doing, and to listen to what He was doing in our brother's and sister's lives. In our individualistic culture we can get so caught up in ourselves, our goals, and becoming who we believe we want to be, or our parents, our boss, our teachers, or God wants us to be. We forget that God calls us to come as we are, to come thirsty, to come weary and heavy laden, come while He is still holding His arms wide open, to come and listen to food that satisfies, and that it is FREE!!!! (Read the rest of Isaiah 55 to understand more of this)

So, as I began to think of what I wanted to share in this site, I thought this verse was perfect. I want others to come and see the work of Christ in me, not just here, but in all of my life. I want them to believe that they can come to God with anything, from any place, and trust Him to satisfy. HE WILL SATISFY, with Himself. I pray that others, and I myself, would learn to stop wasting our energy and resources on what does not satisfy, and turn to our free gift in Him, who does. I want my friends, family, and strangers to be able to come and share their life with me, believing that I will not turn them away because I'm too busy or don't approve of their lifestyle. I want them to see this attribute of Christ in me. I hope that God's word will always be the place you come to for its all-satisfying content, no matter where you are coming from, or what you believe you have to offer. I also pray that anything I share here will be reflection of God's message-fruitful and edifying to your soul, as we come and hear of God's work together. I'll leave you with these lines from the song, that reflect Isaiah 55's call to come and listen to all that He has done and will yet do to satisfy.

Come and Listen, by David Crowder Band:

"Come and Listen,
Come to the Water's edge all you, who know and fear the Lord.
Come and Listen,
Come to the Water's edge all you, who are thirsty come.

Let me tell you what He, has done for me.
Let me tell you what He, has done for me.
He has done fo you,
What He has done for us.

Come and Listen,
Come and Listen to what He has done.
Come and Listen,
Come and Listen to what He has done.

Praise Our God, for He is Good.
Praise Our God, for He is Good."