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I can name four instances in the past week where people have blessed us with food in abundance - and by that, I mean things like 3 gallons of milk, two trays of eggs, two bags of rice, a LOT of fresh produce... And to think, it all started on Friday morning, when my dad proudly announced he had eaten the last bit of leftovers, making more space in the refrigerator.
Sometimes we are unaware of what emptiness prepares us for.
I couldn't help but think about a recurring theme I hear in my spirit this season - that of hunger.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
-Matthew 5.6
Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.
-Luke 14.13
The verse in Luke is the preface of the parable which Jesus tells, in which a banquet is prepared and the invited guests had numerous excuses not to attend. This was countered by inviting anyone and everyone, even those on the streets, "so that [his] house will be full" (v.23).
Interestingly enough, had this been a real story, I can see how people would use these excuses. Bought a new field (possessions). Trying out new oxen (work). Just got married (relationships). But the reality of it is exactly what defines the intensity of surrender, and yet reveals the quality and importance of the feast.
Sometimes we wonder why desire or yearning for more of God isn't strong in our spirit. Could we be going through a season? Perhaps. Or maybe we're just full of other stuff - so full of junk, or even, so full of things that in the natural seem necessary. But if the LORD is preparing a banquet, I want to be hungry for that meal. I won't be hungry if I'm so full.
God is preparing un-comprehensible greatness for us. And I have not attained it all, but I have faith that it will be worth the sacrifice. So if it means releasing the things that would make me a fool by the world's standards, I must do that.
I do not know what He is serving, but I will make myself hunger for it.
I want to be at the great feast. I want to be ready, empty, prepared. I want to be hungry, so that I can be filled with Him, and satisfied by Him.
xo
Reading: New Seeds of Contemplation, Thomas Merton
Listening: United Pursuit Band
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