Isaiah 66:1-2
God’s Message:
Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool: What Temple can you build for me as good as that? My hand has made both earth and skies, and they are mine. Yet I will look with pity on the man who has a humble and a contrite heart, who trembles at my word.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Last night, Greg and I took our great-nephews and niece to Searcy, Arkansas, for a dinner theatre performance on the Harding University campus. For forty-one years, the residents of Searcy have presented a summer dinner theatre…and they now utilize the University’s theatre facilities and food service. The combined result is a “fine dining” experience, complete with well-appointed tables, cloth linens, a buffet dinner, and impeccable service courtesy of [primarily] the school’s theatre students, some of whom we recognized from performances we previously attended.
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This was the first time for our kids to experience this kind of fine dining, and as we stood to leave after the play, Nathan asked, “Don’t we need to clear the table?” I explained that this was part of our experience – we got to get up and walk away and let someone else do the dishes/cleanup! (I was also secretly proud that our kids are accustomed to helping with “kitchen duty” after meals!)
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Let me say that we have fun munching on popcorn and candy at the movies – or eating ice cream at a local drive-in. We are perfectly at home with a fast-food meal and paper napkins and utensils. But there was something special about being served in this fashion…the elevated feeling of dressing in nice clothing, placing a cloth napkin in our laps, and having someone clear our plates after each course and refill our glasses. It was a treat for sure…and I must say that our kids were all incredibly appreciative.
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In this passage from Isaiah, we hear God telling us that He often provides a “fine dining experience” for us. Most days, we dwell in the “routine” world of “fast food meals” and “popcorn/soda” events. We don’t set our tables with cloth linens and specific dining utensils for certain courses during the meal. Nobody comes along to pour coffee, clear our dishes, and ask if everything is to our liking. But God is plenty capable of offering us the elevated experiences and abundance…and He does this more often than we recognize. God desires that we acknowledge and appreciate these blessings with a humble attitude and a grateful heart.Â
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Just as Nathan asked if we should help clear the table, you and I should be asking, “LORD, what can I do for You? How can I serve You better and demonstrate my appreciation and gratitude for Your abundance? What can I do to further Your Kingdom?” We all get complacent at times and take God’s love and care for granted. Too many of us have gotten to the point where the “fine dining experiences” God offers us are customary – maybe even monotonous. We have grown so accustomed to God’s presence and power that we don’t fully notice – or appreciate – these gifts. And we surely don’t give God the glory He deserves. But we can fix this…and we should!
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Today, stop and realize just how much God is blessing you. As we sat down last night, Nathan said, “I feel like a millionaire!” As children of the Most High God, we should feel like this every single day in even the simplest of experiences. Everything we have…everything we are…every “good gift” comes from our Heavenly Father. On this day of all days – Father’s Day – let’s bow before God and give Him glory and honor. Then let’s make every day going forward our “Father’s” Day. Alleluia!
©2024 Debbie Robus
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