The Feast is Ready... Come!

Our grandchildren love to come to our house for special occasions and have a “feast” at our table. They call it that because we put on a tablecloth, we use special dishware, the food is placed in serving dishes, we put out special dishes with pickles, pickled beets, sliced homemade bread, and all their favorite foods. Our granddaughter loves to do little things to decorate the table and the area around the table too. It is a joyful time for everyone!

This morning as I was praying and worshiping God, He brought to mind the banquet that He prepares for me every day! He knows just what I like and what I need and He prepares a table for me each and every day and invites me to come, sit with Him, eat and drink and be filled. He puts the food in special dishes and makes it attractive. He serves only the best wine. And He lingers at the table in conversation with me, hearing my heart and telling me what is in His heart. He loves me and draws me into the conversation and teaches me many things.

Song of Songs 2:3-5 puts it this way, “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love. Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.” Once we have experienced sitting at His table and being fed from His choice foods, we are drawn to that and desire it. My intimacy with Jesus grows as I spend time with Him at the table which He has prepared for me.

Psalm 23:5 says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” When life is hard and things are pushing in on me, when circumstances are just plain horrible, still He prepares a table for me, feeds me and anoints me. And I am strengthened in order to face even the hardest things in life.

In Luke 14:16-24 Jesus tells the parable about a banquet. In summary, a banquet was prepared and many were invited to come celebrate at the table. But those who were invited were too busy. They had work to do, investments to check out, other people they wanted to see. And they refused to come. So the one who prepared the banquet invited those who were poor, crippled, blind and lame. And when the table still had room, he filled the table with those out in the country and surrounding area. All the self-important people who were first invited, missed this great event.

How blessed we are to be called to Jesus’ banquet table each day. He wants to feed us, strengthen us, heal us, and teach us as we feast at His table He has prepared for us. How sad He must be when we are too busy to come. How sad we will be when we realize we were invited, but we missed it because we chose to serve our busyness rather than sit at His table.

Lord, open my eyes to see the table You have prepared for me. May I never miss a time or place where You have invited me to dine with You. Continue to grow my intimacy with You. Teach me who You are and what You have for me to do each day. Thank You for calling me, inviting me and making room for me at Your table. Amen.

You Are Invited!

“I’m so busy.” “I have too much on my plate right now.” “My family needs me.” “My church needs me.” “My neighbor needs me.” “My job is really demanding of me and I am so exhausted when I come home, I just want to veg.” We’ve all heard these comments over and over. Most of us have said them at one time or another or even frequently. It has become a badge of honor for us to be in high demand and have much to do. Cell phones have put the accent mark on our importance to the world around us. If a call or text comes in, we stop mid-sentence to see who it is and often interrupt the conversation we are in with someone to answer the incoming call or message.

“When the banquet was ready, he sent out his servants to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all started making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’” Luke 14:15-21 NLT

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5 NLT

As I ponder these tables, I wonder what it looks like in today’s language. I wonder if it is the Lord providing daily spiritual sustenance through reading His Word, taking time for conversations with Him in prayer, fellowship with other believers, worship music, etc. And we say, “Not today. I’m too busy with other things.” Though we know He always has good things to teach us, encouragement, wisdom, forgiveness, grace, etc., we still say, “I’m too busy. My list is long today and I don’t have time to come to the table He has prepared for me.”

In the parable, the one who prepared the banquet said, “Go quickly to the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame… Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.” Luke 14:21b and 23-24 NLT

When we are not hungry, we don’t come to the table. When we are too full of ourselves and our accomplishments, we don’t have time for the feast the Lord has prepared for us. Those who are hungry come and are fed.

Lord, open my eyes to see the feast you have prepared for me. Create a hunger in me for what you have prepared. Slow my racing mind and help me to linger at the table with You and allow my soul to be fed. Thank you. In Jesus precious and holy name, Amen.