Fillers

For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalm 107:9

Have you ever been so hungry that you would grab the first thing available to eat? Bread, crackers, a piece of cheese. Whatever you can grab that's quick and ready now to tide us over. Then we get too full on the fillers and don't take in the nourishment from a proper supper. Maybe you missed lunch and by the time you got in the door that evening, you were not interested in taking the time to fix a proper meal. Maybe you called something in and picked it up on the way home rather than wait. The truth is that most Americans don't know what true hunger feels like. We know what it's like to want something, and often, we'll settle for anything.

Do we do the same in our relationship with God? We're hungry for something but we settle for anything. We don't want to wait, so we fill up on the spiritual equivalent of chips or crackers and then there's no room for the meat of His Word, the Bread of Life. Psalm 34:8a NLT, invites us to Taste and see that the Lord is good. 

Prayer:

Father,

          Your Word in Matthew 5:6 (NKJV), assures us that Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. We choose to follow Psalm 27:14 - to wait upon You, Lord. You're SO worth it! Help us to not settle for less than You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Taste and See

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Psalm 34:8 NLT

Oh, that we would hunger for God! I have had several people in the last week want to challenge the Truth in today's Promise. They've experienced terrible loss and heartbreak and can't seem to find the faith to believe that the Lord is good in all of it. I've been in that same place, and all I can do is offer you the comfort of the Truth that God taught me in the midst of those times.

Farfalle is one of my favorite pastas, but I don't want to eat it until it's been in the hot water to soften it and salt's been added. I love Italian tomato sauces, but I don't like chunks of cooked tomato, so into the blender it goes to smooth out the lumps. And I do NOT eat raw meat, so I set a fire under it. I don't eat basil or garlic by itself, and bay leaf is actually poisonous if you eat it whole, but adds a delicious flavor to the sauce. All ingredients of one great dish when put together after the proper heat has been applied.

It's a good picture of our lives, too. Sometimes, we're too hard and it takes a lot of hot water and heat to make us soft enough to be palatable to those around us. Sometimes, we're raw and need the heat to cauterize our wounded spirit and to prevent the infection of bitterness in our soul. Sometimes, we don't like what's being added to our lives - it's like salt in a wound! Sometimes, we're sure it will kill us - but the Master knows just the right amount of everything we need and He times it all perfectly. We are His masterpiece and we need to serve Him well.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Prayer:

Father,

          Open our spiritual palate to appreciate the richness of Your mercy and Your grace in our lives. Continue to season us with Your wisdom. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen