he had in mind when he wrote You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. Was an army marching toward him while he was out having a picnic? Was he having a great feast after a battle victory? Or is he talking about the sheep—munching the grass safely while the shepherd fended off the wolf? What does this look like in our world? I realize it’s symbolic, but I wondered about believers suffering in poverty and persecution. Is there a feast available to them?
My conclusion was even in trying circumstances, I have a
feast available to me in God’s Word and in talking with Him through prayer. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will
never be thirsty . . .” And John
describes Jesus as the Word in the beginning of his gospel:
In the beginning the
Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God. He
existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through
him,
and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to
everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The
light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Reading the Bible, times of
prayer and fellowship with God nourish the spirit, giving us direction, even if
He’s asking us to be still, trust and wait on Him. Read the Psalms and He
repeatedly whispers of His unfailing love and care for us. In the work of the
Holy Spirit we are led to truth and He helps us in our weakness. Jesus left us
a gift of peace: “I am leaving you with a
gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot
give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27
The eternal part of us is strengthened and we have hope again, so that we
continue to live for Christ, body and soul. Romans 8:35 and 37 says: Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s
love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are
persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? .
. . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ,
who loved us.
Jesus is always with His children and makes spiritual food available to
us daily. The question is: Am I hungry enough to partake? Or has my heart at
times grown cold and self-sufficient?
Heavenly Father, please keep my heart soft to hear the voice of your
Holy Spirit and open to see your work. Help me to be hungry for your Word and
wisdom, to be closer to You and more like Jesus.
I love starting my days feasting on HIS WORD. And I'm trying to learn not to just feast on it but serve it up with my own speech. Still working on it! Nice post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteKarla, what a wonderful way to look at it! The Lord gives us
ReplyDeletethat feast and our words would be a good way to share it.