The Feast is Already Prepared

 

Saturday mornings at our house are the best.

After a leisurely, sleeping-in sort of night's rest, I'll usually awaken to the aroma of coffee, bacon or sausage, and some delicious breakfast treat (anything from cinnamon rolls to sour cream cinnamon coffee cake to lemon poppyseed muffins to today's pancakes with our neighbor's berry sauce....are you hungry yet?) No matter how tired I am, I somehow end up practically unconsciously floating from bed to the kitchen counter to enjoy a delightful breakfast prepared by the loving hands of my dear mother. Well, this morning was slightly different- Jesus taught me a lesson before I even left my bed.

Last night I spend a good portion of the evening with Jesus, and we did what I like to think of as an "Open Heart Overhaul." Obviously, this was His idea and not mine, but I was so incredibly thankful for our time together and the things that He revealed to me. To be honest, I'll never be the same after our night together. In order for the beauty of our "overhaul" to take place, I had to come to Him. The problem was, I almost didn't.

It had been a rather long day, and my dad had built a warm, relaxing fire in our woodstove. After reading by the fireside for awhile, I was just about to settle down for a nap.

Come away with Me, He whispered.

"Hm? What was that?" I pretended not to hear.

Come away with Me.

"The Bible says that you 'grant sleep' to those you love!" (I always use that one as an excuse.)

You know, I should've thought about the fact that I was quoting the Bible to God.

Once He finally got me right where He wanted me, (which took awhile, let me tell you,) and our overhaul had begun, I began to realize that what I had desperately wanted- sleep, rest and rejuvination- was all to be found in Him. Not only that, but He began stripping away the layers of my heart in the areas that I had been struggling with until I was at His feet in repentance and worship. It was one of the most beautiful moments of this year (so far.) And do you know what He said at the peak of our beautiful intimacy?

I've been anticipating this moment all day long. I had this feast prepared for you, and I was just waiting for you to come to Me.

My mother's Saturday morning breakfasts are the best, but what if I never left the comfort of my warm bed to go eat them? Not only would I be left with a headache from oversleeping and a horribly empty stomach, but I would be missing out on one of the lovliest parts of being a member of the Durham family- the time we spend together.

That's what He told me this morning before I enjoyed our pancakes with berry sauce.

Next time He says, Come away with Me, I think I just might do it without so much hesitation. After all, He's ready and waiting for one of the lovliest parts of being a member of His family- passionate intimacy with Him, the beautiful Lover of our souls.