Some Kind Of CrazyНамуна

A Seat at God’s Table

When I fell down the ladder of success and then all the way down into a psychiatric breakdown, many of my colleagues stepped away from me. Unable to perform to the prescribed standards, I no longer belonged at their table, and nobody wanted to join me in the ditch. 

Fortunately, I discovered that Jesus has no fear of ditches. In fact he does some of his best work with people who find themselves there. After I failed miserably, he blessed me lavishly. For the first time, I began to understand that Jesus had crossed the universe not to conduct a business transaction but to invite me into a relationship. No wonder Jesus’s table manners so scandalized the Pharisees. They judged him harshly for sharing a meal with people like me who hadn’t been playing by the rules! 

Ever so slowly I began to realize that God doesn’t treat his children like the world treats people. When I was washed out and washed up, the Father brought out rings and robes and fatted calves. My identity as God’s child, not my behavior, was what afforded me a permanent seat at his table. He lavished his love on me because I belonged to his family. 

Everything I longed for was available at the table of the Lord. More love? I could find it at the table. A deeper sense of belonging? It was there at the table. Purpose, understanding, significance, even security could be found as I sat down at the table of the Lord and ate. I would never need to present a list of accomplishments or photos of all my possessions. Nor would I need to demonstrate how good I was or remind the Lord of my last best performance.

Sitting at the table of the Lord was about believing that Jesus had drawn me into a relationship with the Father. My security came from my identity as his son. I began to rest in the fact that I didn’t earn my seat at God’s table through strength and would never lose it through weakness. It wasn’t about how I was doing but about what Jesus has done. 

Spend time meditating on the Parable of the Prodigal Son in today’s Scripture reading. In what ways are you like the Prodigal Son? How might God be celebrating your relationship with him? How might he be inviting you to a seat at his table—no strings attached?