There's a beautiful story found in Mark 5 - one of my favorites, actually. A father named Jairus is scouring through crowds of people to find Jesus. Jairus' daughter is dying, and He pleads with Jesus to come heal her. Jesus leaves the crowd for this one little girl, but when He gets to her house, she has already died. In the house, He finds a room full of mourners who laugh at Him when He tells them, "The girl is not dead, but asleep." As the people laugh at Him, Jesus moves into the bedroom of this child, speaks to her, "Talitha koum," which is Aramaic, meaning, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." The girl immediately comes back to life, and everyone is filled with great joy.
It's an awe-inspiring story.
Unfortunately when reading the Bible, though, we tend to stop short at "awe-inspiring." We love the miracles, the goosebumps, the "everyone was astonished" moments. But one of the best parts of this story comes after the Jesus-whisper of "Talitha koum..." After the miracle and the goosebumps, Mark wraps up chapter 5 by making sure to record that after all these awe-inspiring things, Jesus "told them to get her something to eat," (v. 43).
And then He told them to get her something to eat...
Apparently Jesus didn't want to have to come back next week and raise this girl from the dead again because she starved to death. He knew that if she was going to come back to life and stay alive, she had to eat. She had to do practical things to take care of the miracle she'd been given. She had to remember to eat.
Like this little girl, maybe you have a deathbed or two in your life, as well. Maybe you have risen, or attempted to rise, on occasion before. Whatever you are rising up to today, don't forget to eat. "Eating" may signify taking care of yourself physically - things that restore you and refresh you, like food, rest or recreation. It may signify practical steps you need to take in order to follow through with good things in your life. Maybe "eating" refers to eating of God's Word, the Bread of Life; living on His presence and truth in daily life.
Two nights ago, I laid in bed with my Bible on my lap, feeling powerless and overwhelmed. I'm working incredibly hard to learn and grow in new ways, so hard, in fact, that I barely notice I am putting way too much trust in myself and not nearly enough trust in the Lord. As I opened up to where I left off in 2 Chronicles 26, I read about a king named Uzziah, and two statements hit me like a slap in the face. It read:
"...As long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper... But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God." (vv. 5, 16)
Today I am painfully overwhelmed... like, breaking-point overwhelmed. I have so many questions that God isn't answering. I have major decisions to make with no clear sign of what is the right thing to do, the wise thing, the God thing. I don't know. The only answer I have is "I don't know." I have risen to some extreme challenges, to new life, this year, and now that it's here, I don't know what to do. And as I read these verses tonight, I'm reminded:
Don't forget to eat.
When I am feeling overwhelmed, confused and out of control, a typical common denominator is that I am somehow leaving God out of the equation, or at least out of the process. I'm not including Him, not seeking Him, not pursuing Him like my life depends on it. And the truth is that my life does depend on it. I need Him. I NEED Him. Oh, I need Him.
My own challenge this week is "don't forget to eat." I've made a lot of things high priorities in this new year so far - studying, reading textbooks, getting projects done, going to class, going to work (all 3 jobs), working out, going to church, squeezing in time for family and friends if I can find a spare minute (it's really not supposed to be this way). And in the midst of it all, devotion to Jesus has been an after-thought. He's in my heart, my mind, my spirit, I carry Him with me always... but I have not sought Him. He has been squeezed into bits and pieces of my day.
I am nibbling when I should be feasting;
When my life depends on it.
Life depends on it. Life itself depends on the priority of Christ over every other thing. So I suppose tonight I am just sharing with you a challenge that is very much my own... don't forget to eat. Eat of Him, eat of His Word, eat of His presence. Feed on the life and truth of God regularly. You - and I - cannot survive without Him.
So today, whatever that means for you - whether practically, physically, emotionally, socially or spiritually, don't forget to eat.
Life depends on it.
"And as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper."
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