Come to the Table!

 Come to the Table!

The schedule at the Beck house is a never-ending cycle of school, church, work, grocery shopping, homework, soccer, concerts, movie nights, laundry, more grocery shopping, more homework, and the list goes on. :) Although we do our very best to stick to early bedtimes for our five girls, sometimes the events of the day just won't allow for that, and we find ourselves getting to bed late and morning still coming just as early. Waking up sleepy-headed children is not always easy! I have been growled at, grunted at and at times there are even attempts to simply ignore my morning greetings as though that will keep the inevitable from happening. 

 

For a while I would get frustrated and issue strong warnings of the consequences coming if ten little feet did not hit the floor and begin their morning routine. Though we got through them, those mornings are not my best memories! Thankfully, over time I have found better strategies to get things moving when tiredness tries to linger around our home. Often as parents, if we will put ourselves in our "children's shoes" so to speak, or think about what would help us if we were in their situation, we can find our answer. So I began to think -- what would help me want to get up in the morning? A yummy breakfast! We are normally cereal and milk folks in the morning because it's quick and easy, but on mornings when I knew the girls might have a hard time, I started making some of their favorite things for breakfast like pancakes and hot chocolate. It was amazing to see the difference when I would go to their rooms and tell them – “Come to the table – mommy made you pancakes and hot chocolate.” Instead of growls and grunts, I was now being greeted with smiles and thank yous! Yes - victory!

 

On one of our recent "yummy breakfast" mornings, the Holy Spirit brought Psalms 23:5 to my mind. "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies...." I saw that God does the same thing for us in hard times -- this was not an original idea! He is a wise and loving Father, who always knows what His children need to keep moving through tough times. When the enemy tries to linger around us, God does something wonderful -- He prepares a table and invites us to come! Of course, His table is full of much more than pancakes and hot chocolate. Waiting there for you are the rich nourishment and benefits of salvation -- love, peace, comfort, protection, prosperity, wisdom, direction and so much more! 

 

So, the next time you are confronted by the enemy, remember to look around -- somewhere nearby is a table prepared just for you in your time of greatest need.  Listen closely and no doubt you will hear the Spirit call you - Child, come to the table! 

 

Debbie Beck

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The Will of God - To Go Boating or To Stay Home

If you know me very well, you know that I love being out in the sunshine and I love being on or near the water.  For me, there is just nothing more relaxing than listening to the water and soaking up the sun.  A few years ago, my sister called me one summer day and asked if I wanted to go boating with her the following day.  She and her husband have a boat and there was a lake near us, so we would occasionally meet there and spend the day on the lake. A little bit of heaven on earth for me!  

When I received her invitation, I immediately accepted the invitation and we made plans to meet at the lake.  As soon as I hung up the phone, the Lord quickened me that I was not supposed to go.  Being the logical person that I am, I knew that it just didn't make sense for me to pass up this offer!  So, I ignored that Holy Spirit nudge.  Before too much longer, the nudge came again.  Now, I really wanted to go boating, so I reminded the Lord that our daughters would wear life jackets and everything would be fine.  And I went on about my day.  And, the nudge came again, so I said, "Lord, if you want me to stay home, then you have to give me direction in your Word.  My emotions are so closely wrapped up in this and I need clear objective direction."  

Here's why I made that request to the Lord:

Hebrews 4:12 says this, "For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than 

any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, 

and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and 

intents of the heart." [emphasis mine]

That scripture says that the Word divides soul and spirit.  What is our soul?  It is our emotions.  And the spirit is our spirit man.  You see, God knew that there would be times that our emotions would be so strong about something, that it would be difficult for us to discern if it was the voice of God leading us or merely our emotions.  Prayer is good and we need to seek God in prayer, but let's face it, the enemy would like to get us off track. Emotions can become so strong and we can convince ourselves that it must be God's will.  Before you know it, we are headed down the wrong path.  Our God doesn't want that for us, so He gave us His Word to be our guide.  And Friends, it will not fail you.  It is truth, it is eternal, and it does not change.

There are some situations where the will of God is very clear - salvation, healing, forgiveness, strength, courage, etc.  But there are also other situations where it is not always so clear and our emotions can cloud the voice of God - who to marry, what job to take, where to go to college, what house to buy, or - whether or not to go boating!  :o)  In these situations, we can find the guidance we need in his Word.  You may be wondering how God could ever give guidance on what college to attend in his Word.  There is no mention of college in His Word!  That is correct, but let's go back to the boating invitation.

As I prayed that prayer and asked God to show me direction in His Word, He led me to Ezekiel 3.  Now I knew nothing about Ezekiel 3.  So, I had no idea what I was going to be reading when I arrived.  Ezekiel 3 is a conversation between God and Ezekiel, who is a prophet.  I began reading this and after several verses, I'm thinking, 'this has nothing to do with boating, I must not have heard correctly.'  But I kept reading.  As I turned the page, the next scripture before me was vs 24 - "Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet and spoke with me and said to me: 'Go, shut yourself inside your house.'"  There it was, my direction and pretty well spelled out.

I called my sister and explained that I couldn't go boating the next day.  To this day, I don't know why, but I do know that had I not obeyed that command, the results could have been devastating.  We serve a good God and he wants good things for us (Matt. 7:11). 

The Lord wants to guide you and bless you in the journey.  If we truly seek Him, He will answer (Jeremiah 29:13).  When emotions are involved and it is difficult to discern the voice of God in prayer, ask Him for a scripture to give you clear direction.  He is faithful!  

Be Blessed!

Dawn

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