Make A Meal Of It

I have just spotted that the yoghurt I bought yesterday has the phrase "Eat well, feel uplifted" on the lid.

 

That's a pretty bold claim.

 

I have definitely experienced some degree of uplifting from a satisfying meal - a warming casserole on a winter's night; hot bread or cake straight from the oven; butter melting down the sides of a jacket potato (I am making myself hungry just writing those).  But I'm not sure that food can really uplift us in the long-term.

 

I love it when supermarkets have samples of food - pieces of cake, cubes of cheese, sometimes even thimbles of something alcoholic.

 

However, whilst these are tasty, they are not a meal in themselves.

 

They don't satisfy.

 

They whet our appetite and create a longing for something more.

 

In the same way, if we just sample snippets of God's word, nibbling our way through odd passages here and there, we will never feel satisfied.  We won't be truly uplifted.

 

We need to take the time to sit down and 'eat' God's word.  We need to make space to savour His words and chew things over.  We need to be like the Psalmist who said, 

 

        "You thrill to God's Word,
        you chew on Scripture day and night."

 

        [Psalm 1:2 MSG]

 

Or,

 

       "I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
       I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
       I relish everything you’ve told me of life,
       I won’t forget a word of it."

 

       [Psalm 119:16 MSG]

 

 

We need to make a meal out of God's word.  Not just a snack, which staves off our hunger for a short while, but doesn't really satisfy.  But a sit-down, take-your-time, three-course meal.

 

Yes, it's more effort.  But it is also more satisfying.

 

And, like any really good meal, it leaves us wanting more.