Something that the Lord has been putting on my heart lately is the consideration of how much He is willing to do on our behalf. I don’t know about you, but I love to dream. I love to dream about what my children will be like and who they will grow up to be; I love to dream about what life will be like in forty years when my babies have left the house and I get to sit on a rocking chair on the porch with my husband; I love to dream about what this platform will be and the ways that the Lord will continue to use it. And even as the dreamer and goal-setter that I am, the Lord has been whispering to my heart to stop settling for the crumbs.
“Now unto him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask for or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20
All of these dreams and goals of mine that I just talked about are by no means valueless or not important to God- He created my very heart and knows my deepest desires and goals and He cares about them all. I believe what He was saying to me was that He had invited me to His table and prepared a seat for me but in some areas of my life I have decided to settle for a place on the floor eating whatever falls off the table and considering it the portion the Lord has for me. This just isn’t the Lord’s heart for us, friends. Have you ever felt like the Lord couldn’t move in a specific area of your life? Like He already did enough for you and there’s nothing more that He could do? Or that you felt like you had already asked Him for so much and didn’t want to ask too much? Me too.
This thought led me to the story of The Last Supper in Luke 22 which says, “When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.’” (v. 14-16) It also led me to think about the story in Matthew 9 where it says, “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.” (v. 10) In Jesus’ last hours on earth, He chose to recline at the table with His closest friends. Jesus valued sharing meals with others and He valued making sure that there was always a spot for those who wanted a seat at the table. If He dresses the lilies and provides food for the sparrows, how much more does He treasure you, the one whom He created for Himself to spend eternity communing with?
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:26-30
The Lord has given you a seat at His table, but have you chosen to sit in it? Are there areas of your life that you haven’t invited the Lord into because you think it’s too small or too messy for Him? And what if I told you that even your biggest most crazy dream was just an ounce of what the Lord can do in your life? How crazy is that to think about! I often struggle with confining God to a box that He didn’t create, but I’ve learned that you’ll never get to see all that He can do in your life if you get in the way and don’t allow Him to use you how He wants to… even when it looks different from what you thought it should.
I want to leave you with an encouraging word from the Word that we can place our trust in. I love the imagery and sweetness that Psalm 95 gives us of our kind Father, our Shepherd and Caretaker. It says:
“Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.”
If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord (Romans 10:9), you will never not know what it means to be apart from the grace of God and the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). He is preparing a place for you to spend eternity with Him and has given you a seat at His table. Don’t settle for the crumbs, dine and grow in relation with the King, feasting on all the wonders He has to offer you all the days of your life.
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