The Perfect Meal

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. He knows the events of the day you are about to journey into. He knows exactly what kind of soul nourishing meal you need to face that day and He has prepared JUST FOR YOU.

The Word is opened and on the table, He is sitting there to guide you through it and fill your soul with the ‘food of the Spirit’ you need to be fruitful that day. What fears are you going to need power to overcome today? What distractions are you going to need to be blinded from today? What surprises are coming your way that have the potential to rock your world if you are not prepared? Think of the many days you have set out for the day thinking you knew what to expect and found it was a completely different day altogether. Were you prepared? Did you respond to those days in the flesh or in the spirit? Do you know what this day holds? We cannot know. We may think we know, but we don’t.

But He knows.

And so He sits and waits. 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 His word so that we may ‘grow up’ in our salvation. I can’t help but think of parents here. Our parents begin feeding us from day one with the sole purpose of helping us grow up big and strong. Each meal is prepared with nutrition in mind.

• “Drink your milk so you will grow big and strong”

• “Eat your broccoli, it’s good for you!”

• “Eat the rest of that orange, it will help you fight that cold that’s going around”

The meals that God prepares for us at His table each day are planned according to our nutritional needs. Whether it’s an ‘orange’ to fight off something that is going around, a ‘glass of milk’ to make us stronger for what is coming our way or some ‘broccoli’ just because it is good for us, God knows exactly what meal to plan for us and He delivers it through the reading of His word.
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 recall a day recently when I kept putting that table time off. I had no intention of skipping the meal, but I kept pushing back the reservation to tend to tasks that morning. Of course, morning became noon, but I still had intentions of sitting down. God called to me many times during that morning and each time my heart responded with ‘just a sec…I need to do this one thing first and then I’ll be able to sit down without distractions’.

And then the phone rang.

It started out innocent enough. A harmless conversation with someone who had good intentions and wanted to give me some advice. At some point though, the advice turned into accusations that wounded me deeply. Accusations based on false information. My hungry soul was weak and under nourished, but my flesh was ready for the fight. You know the rest of the story. My flesh took over and that conversation ended with angry words. Now let me share with you the devotional that was sitting on ‘the table’ waiting for me to consume.

‘…I am with you to deliver you’, says the Lord

(Jeremiah 1:8)
The devotional written for this particular verse went on to talk about how we are to depend on God for our deliverance in situations and avoid the temptation to ‘defend ourselves’ in the flesh. It drew on lessons from the Sermon on the Mount to emphasize this point, showing how Jesus said for us to not seek personal justice because it leads to personal self pity or self righteous thoughts (“how dare you say that to me”).
As soon as that phone call was over, I ran to His table, weeping and wounded. And then I read those words. I was deeply convicted by the truth of those words in 2 ways.

1. Yes, Lord, I need to let go of my need to be right or defend myself from these false accusations.

2. Most importantly though…Yes Lord. I realize You had been calling me to Your table all day because You knew this call was coming and You wanted to prepare me in advance.

Oh Lord, how differently that conversation could have played out if I had responded to Your calling instead of putting You off.

What meal has God prepared for us today? Let’s go to the table daily to find out, for we know it is good!

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. Let Him feed you 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 to you today, 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.


I come to you in the name of my precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Can you recall a time when you realized the time spent with God prepared you for things you had no idea were coming?  Or maybe you can recall a time when you faced an issue of the day with an under nourished soul?  It would be a blessing to hear from you, even if it's just to say 'hello' or 'amen'! And it's easy ~ click the comment link below and leave us a short word!  You can even do it anonymously *grin*. 


God Bless and Keep You,