A Reflection On God’s Gifts

When I need to receive what God offers

Imagine a hungry homeless man on the sidewalk in front of an open-air restaurant. A sign reads: “Free buffet. All you can eat. Everyone welcome.” Everything the man needs for the moment is offered, but he won’t sit down. Perhaps he doesn’t understand the sign, doesn’t believe it applies to him, or feels like he’s too dirty to fit in. Regardless of the reason, he hungers while others eat. Unfortunately, that’s how many Christians approach God’s promises. The banquet of God waits for us, but we can’t relate to it, so we won’t go sit down. We forget that God’s promises are lavished upon us with His own Son as the guarantee.

Blessed are those who accept God’s promises like children, who are too innocent to ask questions or to be suspicious of His extravagance. We have a God of enormous abundance, and we are a people of enormous need. He invites us to display our poverties before Him so He can show the world His mercies. What prevents us from receiving His bounty with open arms?

What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What festivities await us inside your holy Temple.

Psalm 65:4