Expectantly Waiting

"God's kingdom," he said, "is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn't come!” (Matthew 22:2-3 MSG)

The basement of our house is my son’s domain. He has it set up so he doesn’t have to come upstairs too often. He has a fridge and a microwave and a large stock of pop-tarts and easy mac--enough for a college student to survive on. When I’ve made a nice meal, I want to share it with him. I invite him up to eat with us several times each day. Sometimes he joins us, and sometimes he doesn’t.

This must be how God feels. He prepares for us and yearns for us. He wants to feed us and spend time with us. He wants us to get to know Him better.  Yet most of us never show up. We get lazy. We get busy. We sleep in. We go for a run. We go to work. We entertain ourselves. We would rather do other things than keep company with God. We stay in our domain where we imagine we can survive independently. We feed ourselves with inferior food instead of the fulfilling meal that is prepared by God.  

God is expectantly waiting for us today. We must be responsive and receptive. We must come prepared with our hearts cleansed by confession and our minds cleared of distractions. As we spend time with God, we get to know Him more intimately. The more we focus on Him, the less distracted we become. The more we understand Him, the more we love.

Lord, thank you for inviting me into your presence. Thank you for waiting for me. Please be patient with me. Draw me close to you. Help me know you and love you.