What’s for Dinner?
God began our time in prayer with a command. “Eat what I have given you.”
“What should I eat?”
He then teased me with a quick picture of a field filled with donuts. It gave me a giggle because who wouldn’t want to eat a field of donuts? And because I have Celiac disease, it would be even more of a feat to create a field of gluten-free donuts.
“Eat what I have given you.”
“Teach me about that. I’m not even sure of what I’ve been given. I’m sad to admit I take many things for granted,” I replied.
“First the fullness of grace. This will take a lifetime to consume. Then your holy state. You have a holy status that is not a hindrance, but a gift.”
“What else?”
“Humility. Humility is only born out of revelation. There is no other way to receive it. Consume the fullness of the gift of humility. Eat of the delight of the Lord, which is the obedience of His people. You will stand on your ancestor’s obedience to go and do. This will increase your vision and strength. Drain complacency from your life and dwell in it no more. Dive deep into expectancy. Testimonies bolster expectancy, eat more of those.”
***
The Lord has been removing things from my life. Things that are time suckers, allowing space for new things to enter. It was good to receive an understanding of what He wanted me to be filled with. Not just to read something or briefly experience it, but to actually eat it. Bring it into myself and allow it to provide sustenance to me. This takes a lot more time and intentional work than just a brief encounter.
Confession alert: when He told me to not view my holy status as a hindrance, it hit hard. Because I had been doing that, lamenting to Him about my loneliness. To be made holy means to be set apart, this of course means separated from the crowd. I had been seeing when the Lord has set me apart from others as sad or a hindrance, not a blessing. Even though I know it is necessary. It’s lonely sometimes. I’m sure some of you can relate. But we need to be holy in order to have a flourishing relationship with God.
I choose to be made holy even when it’s lonely. What about you? Do you feel that strife between wanting to be a part of a crowd and knowing that it isn’t what God wants for you?
What’s for Dinner?
My list of what to eat sounded like ingredients to a splendid creation, but only He knows the correct measurements required to include for a successful dish. Grace, humility, obedience and expectancy. What will He do with these things?
Grace has an elusive definition for me. I try to grab a hold of it and fully understand what He provided on the cross and I know my understanding comes up short. Grace is free and unmerited gift from God. His grace saves us in every imaginable way; physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Humility can only come from the revelation of God’s greatness and our desperate need for Him. When our hearts constantly ponder the attributes of God, our focus moves from self to Him. We no longer dwell on what we can or cannot do but wait for His next great whisper of revelation.
Obedience is so hard for us humans. Even when we desire to obey, we have issues with understanding the logistics of what, when, whom and how of the directions we are given. In my walk, I know every obedience, no matter how small, received a sweet reward. That precious communion with Him when you know you heard His voice and did your best at connecting to His will. Even when we fall short, His rewards are plentiful.
Expectancy: there are so many times I don’t operate out of expectancy. I operate out of a spirit of lack and inability to see His provision. I only see my own insufficiencies and mess. This is not God honoring. I know I need to grow in this area to wait in great expectancy for what He is doing.
It doesn’t matter so much what’s for dinner at our tables, as it does what we have to feed our hearts.
The disciples asked Christ, “What’s for dinner.”
“Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:31-34, ESV).
Prayer for you and me: Lord, help me to fully eat and bring into myself all that You have for me. Cover me in Your grace to cover others. Give me revelation so that I might be humble. Increase my obedience so that I might walk in immediate and utter obedience to You. Let me praise in expectancy of Your next move. Thank You, Jesus’ Amen.
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