Nibbling Ain’t Enough, EAT!

At the beginning of every year my family participates in a 21 day fast with our church family. We always fast social media and television and then we each choose what food we are fasting. I typically get to a point in the fast where I start nibbling on food here and there instead of eating full meals because I get so tired of lettuce and fruit. When I do this I get so hungry, because I’m never actually filling myself. I’m continually unsatisfied. How often is this also the case with our spiritual lives. We feel underwhelmed, unsatisfied, and hungry for more of God. We wonder where He is, but we never actually open our Bibles and sit at His table. We nibble instead of feast on the Word of God.

Jeremiah 15:16 (ESV) says

“Your words were found, and I ate them,
    and your words became to me a joy
    and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
    O Lord, God of hosts.”

Jeremiah was in a season where he was prophesying to the people and instead of the people believing what he was saying they ridiculed him and left him lonely. Jeremiah turned to the Word of God and took comfort and joy in it. How often are we turning somewhere other than the Word of God to receive comfort and joy? Or do we read our Bibles and just read it and leave it, nibble on it here and there like I often do on my fast? Now imagine a feast – all of your favorite foods sitting on a table in front of you. You probably don’t take just one or two bites but you feast on what’s in front of you. Taking delight in all of your favorite foods. You leave satisfied and full. How much more satisfied and full we would feel if we feasted on and delighted in God’s Word, the way Jeremiah describes.

Jeremiah says the word was a delight to his heart. With the current chaotic state of our world, I treasure the moments that my heart feels delight and I crave for the Lord to be my delight. It can be so easy to try and fill that craving with other things. People, food, music, distractions, addictions, work, hobbies, and the list goes on. All of those things are temporary. In the moment we may feel good, happy, satisfied but it isn’t long after that we start to revert back to our dissatisfied selves. If instead our choices led us to the Word, our souls would find delight and satisfaction that could weather the trials of this life.

In order to feast we must come hungry. Come hungry to the Lord’s table and come regularly. When we do feast, we not only read but we pray the Word, we meditate on the Word, we study the Word, we journal the Word, we share the Word. In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing more specifically what it looks like to do each of those and share some of my favorite resources.

May we all learn to go to His table, receive His Joy, and be filled.