“And I Will Sup with You.”
It is a well-known fact that nurses make the worst patients. Several months ago I became very sick. The pain in my upper abdominal region caused me to seek the professional opinion of a gastroenterologist. I was quick to have tests done but a little disappointed that the results showed very little to help the physician pinpoint just what was causing my discomfort. After going through procedures and consultations I was given the glowing news that it was my diet that was causing all the problems. Of course I thought about all the money and time I had spent only to find out that I needed to do what I already knew I needed to do…be more careful in my food selections. That made me frustrated.
Then to give insult to injury, I was assigned a training internist that would follow my case and call me by phone at intervals to review what I had been doing to turn from the foods and the amount I was eating and agree to live more healthfully. I didn’t want to face the fact that I had to follow the physician’s instructions in order to not have pain and to be a stronger, healthier person.
Isn’t that just the way we are as Christians? We want a great life full of abundance, joy and peace but we are unwilling to face head-on the prioritizing it takes to get there. Jesus, in all His wonderful and amazing wisdom and guidance tells us how to live a life closer to Him and how to enjoy His presence but we don’t want to “spend” the time just being with Him, listening to His voice and reading His word in order to attain that abundance, joy and peace. We would rather argue the perception that “I go to church on Sunday and even some Wednesdays and I give my tithe. I serve at church and help others in my neighborhood. I love God and call on His name in my troubles. I certainly pray before I eat and before I go to sleep at night. How much more do I have to do?”
If we read the Scripture more closely, we will realize it is not about “doing” but about “being.” Being alone in His Holy presence and being quiet before Him is what we fail to be. We give excuses like, “My life is so fast-paced and I am stress to the max! My children demand my attention and my job drives me crazy. I’m at church almost every night during the week. When do I find time to be alone with God?” Indeed, when?” When will we realize that this is the key to all of the rest of our life coming together in a synchronized fashion? All other things will continue to be chaos until we discover that time with God.
Some may ask, “Doesn’t God already know what I need?” Yes, He knows you NEED to be with Him alone. How many of us have longed to be with our son or daughter who lives away from us? How many want to hold our precious grandchildren in our arms and get hugs and kisses? How many of us want to feel tiny fingers wrapped around ours and smell the scent of baby powder on the sweet chubby body of that tiny child of ours? How many of us, as parents, await that special person to come home to us when they have been overseas in possibly a dangerous and foreign land? What would we give to throw our arms around him or her and welcome them home? That is the way God feels about us. His one desire is to be with us, feel and smell us and listen to our voice. He wants to see our joy when we are with Him alone. But we treat our meeting with our Abba Father as a chore, an obligation that must be met! How sad that must make Him!
He tells us through one of David’s songs in Psalms 103: 13 that He is, “like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear (reverence) Him. For He understands how weak we are; He know we are only dust.” What a wonderful verse! It is a statement of how He loves us and treasures us.
And then David assures us in Psalm 145: 17 that, “The Lord is righteous in everything he does; He is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills the desires of those who fear (reverence) Him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.” How many times have we heard that tiny cry of help from one of our little ones? Nothing in the world could keep us from running as fast as we can to get to them. No one is stronger than a parent rushing to help an injured or sick child. David is telling us that we are God’s upmost concern. How could we ever deny Him an audience with us? How could we ever not stand in line if it takes forever to speak with Him? The wonderful thing is that we never have to wait in line. All of us are the first in line. He is ready, willing and waiting to hear our voice. Let’s do ourselves an enormous favor. Let’s seek Him in a quiet place and sit with Him a while. He promises, “Behold! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and “sup” (eat) with him and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20) He will welcome us, share a meal as a friend, speak comfort and peace to our hearts and bless us beyond our wildest dreams!
Marilyn K. Smith
812 Whisenhunt Rd., Cope, SC 29003
(30) (160)
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