Table for 2...Your Reservation is Waiting

1 Peter 2: 2-3 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (niv)

It all starts with good eating habits. Everyday God is sitting at the table, a table He has set just for you. He is in His chair and your chair is pulled out, just waiting for you to come sit down. The table is set with a meal created with you in mind. A meal that will fill the craving of your soul; a craving you may not even know you have because you have filled it recently with junk food that is masking the true hunger that still exists.

But He knows. And so He sits and waits. A reservation for 2 that never expires.

A reservation for 2 that never expires, but the meal cannot be served until the entire party is seated. How long will I keep my Father waiting?

When I am tempted to skip a meal with God, this visualization helps me readjust my priorities. The thought of God sitting there at a table for 2, all alone breaks my heart. And then I remember that His heart aches for me even more. The thought of not partaking in the meal that was prepared just for me reminds me of what I will be missing. And then I remember that He prepared that meal for me because He loves me so much.

1 Peter 2:2-3 tells us that we should crave pure spiritual milk. The meals that God prepares for us at His table are the spiritual milk we need to grow up in our salvation. However, there is a clue for us at the end of verse 3 where it says “now that you have tasted that the Lord is good”. You can’t crave something if you have never tasted it. However, the more you taste it, the more you crave it.

Jumping back into the physical hunger analogy, think about something you have tasted and ‘it was good’! For me, it’s chocolate. Just the thought of it will sometimes drive me to insanity trying to get my hands on it. God wants us to get that ‘crazy’ about our craving
for His word, for His work in our life and for His time with us.

No one can force you to take that first bite. God calls you to the table, God puts the spiritual milk in front of you, but you have to sit down and partake. I remember the first time I said yes to the invitation. It wasn’t the first time I had been invited, but this time there was a hunger in my soul that I could not deny. Up until this point, I had filled that hunger with other things, trying to get full on ‘chips and candy’, the junk of the world that leaves me empty after time. But on this day, when the Lord asked me to come and sit with Him, I did; and it was good!

My subsequent craving was immediate and almost insatiable. My time in the word was consistent and I was seeking God to show me His way. I was young and eager to grow and learn.

However, soon after graduating from High School, I began skipping invitations. At first it was done with a quick ‘rsvp’ that I would be late, which typically resulted in a no show. Then the courtesy of the ‘rsvp’ fell by the wayside and it wasn’t long before I grew deaf to the daily invitation to ‘come and sit’.

But my God never gives up on me. He stayed at that table day in and day out, year after year, preparing meals I never shared with Him. Today I regret missing those meals and can only imagine what my spiritual walk would be like if I had never stopped coming to the table. But I don’t live in the regret because my God is Jehova Rapha, the God who heals. As soon as I found my way back to His table, as soon as I began filling my soul with the meals He prepared for me daily, the healing began. Healing regrets, healing wounds of my heart, healing broken relationships, and more, all provided for me as I consumed the meals prepared at this table for 2. The healing took time, but is real and is offered to all who choose to come and sit. He is here now, with an invitation extended.

The question today is, where are you? Have you accepted the invitation already, but have been away from the table for a while? Come to Jesus. Come to the Savior. Come sit with God.

Maybe you have heard the invitation before, but have yet to pull up the chair for the first time. Let today be the day. Say yes Lord, I’ll come sit in the chair You have been saving for me and take part in the meal You have prepared for me.

And if you are in a place where you have been sitting at the table daily, don’t take it for granted; cherish it. Take a moment today and sink a little lower in the chair and settle in for some solid food. (Hebrews 5: 13-14)

Our recipe today is Growing up in Our Salvation.
The ingredients are from 1 Peter 2:2-3.
The directions are to pull up a chair and spend time with Him. Feed your craving and know that the Lord is good!

CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.



PRAYER:
Father, make this word fresh in my heart today. Give me a craving for Your word, Your will and Your presence. Forgive me Lord, for the times you have prepared a meal for me and I never showed up to share it with You. Thank you God that my reservation for 2 never expires and the meal is always fresh and prepared just for me. Thank you Lord for first loving me so much so that You desire to prepare a soul satisfying meal just for me. I am amazed and humbled at the thought of this. As I take this time with you today, let me fall deeper in love with You, increasing my craving for Your word , Your will and Your presence. Lord, give me eyes to see the things that keep me from coming to your table daily so that I may confess, repent and be healed of it. Use this scripture, Father, to remind me daily that You desire me to grow strong in my salvation, so that I may walk in Your will, to Your glory.
Amen.