Come to the table of the Lord: Is 55:1-3

"Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David.” (Isaiah 55:1-3)

What are the things that are important to you? For what do you strive and work all day long? Here are a couple of exercises that will help you identify those things. First, look at your schedule. Where do you spend most of your time? What are the things you make time for and what things you don’t have time for? Secondly, look at your checkbook. Where do you spend your money? Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Where are your treasures? Where is your heart? We may delude ourselves thinking that the things of the Kingdom are what’s most important to us, but our schedules and checkbooks show us what we really value. Jesus wants us to partake of the things if the Kingdom. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) Jesus has prepared a table for us and He wants us to eat of His bounty. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” (Psalms 23:5) So why do so many of us find ourselves starving? Why do we spend so much of our time, money, and energy on things that do not satisfy? What are the keys to partaking of the provision of the Lord? This passage shows us three.

Key 1: Come. Many times, we fail to enjoy the bountiful feast of the Lord because we fail to come to the table. While the Father wants to give us the Kingdom, He is not going to chase us down and force it down our throats. Jesus spoke to the people saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37) Jesus wants to give us a drink, He wants to feed us, but we must be willing to come to Him and, when we do come, He doesn’t want us to be in a hurry. The banquet table of the Lord is not like a drive-up window where you drive up, order what you want, and speed away. Jesus not only wants us to come to the table but He also wants us to eat at the table and to enjoy His provision in His presence. We must take the time to sit at the table and enjoy His blessings.

Key 2: Listen. Jesus has thing to tell us, things about Himself and things about us. Jesus promised that He would guide us, saying, “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21) We need only to take the time to listen. It is so easy for me to spend my time in prayer reciting my wants and desires to the Lord. I can get so consumed with what I want that I sometimes forget to listen to what He wants to say. Jesus wants to speak, but we must listen. God wants to reveal the things of the Kingdom to us. “ ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) Let God reveal Himself to you. Let Him show you what He was done for you and what He still has in store for you. If we will listen to Him, we will find that His words are life!

Key 3: Eat. The food is free! You do not have to pay to enjoy the table of the Lord, Jesus already paid the price. The good things of the Lord are not just for someone else but they are also for you. It is easy to believe that someone else will receive from the Lord, but God wants to give to you as well. You may have been a sinner, there may be things in the past that you are not proud of, but none of these things disqualify you from the table of the Lord. Sometimes we don’t eat because we don’t understand what God is doing. Peter has this problem when God showed him a large sheet full of “unclean animals.” God told peter to “Rise, kill, and eat” but Peter’s response to the Lord was, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” (Acts 10:14) We must not allow our sense of self-righteousness to keep us from partaking of the new thing that God is doing. It may be different, it may be out of our comfort zone, but if it’s God, then it is going to be great! Don’t be shy, take a big portion, and as the Lord said, “delight yourself in abundance!”

David Robison