Take a Number, Lord

We have all gone into places and seen a long line of people waiting for service and been directed to the “number” machine. Without looking up the person behind the counter dispassionately says, “Take a number and have a seat.  We’ll get to you when we can.” We know we are in store for a l-o-n-g wait. We watch impatiently as the red numbers in the box on the wall slowly advance; sometimes it feels that they are reversing. Arrggh!

Unfortunately, we do the same thing at times in our walk with Christ. When Christ comes to us and desires to have fellowship with us, how do we respond? Do we say, “Yes, Lord. Let’s spend time together. I have so much I want to share with you and ask you about”? Or do we not even look at Him and dispassionately say, “Take a number, Lord. I’ll be with you when I am done with these other things. I’ll be with you when I am done with this book. When I am finished with my sports. When I am done with recreation. When I am finished with work. When I am done sleeping. When I am done eating. When I am done with this big project. Then, I’ll get around to your number, Lord.”

I am not saying any of life’s pleasures are necessarily bad, but they can all be bad if they are placed before our relationship with Christ. Christ is our Healer, our Physician, our Sustainer. Can you imagine the Creator of the universe coming into the waiting room of your life? The Master Physician comes to see you, to heal you and you tell him to have a seat in the waiting room, you may have time for Him after the endless list of demands is concluded. We treat Christ as a traveling stranger who has aimlessly wandered into our lives and is looking for a handout, rather than the Giver of life to our souls.

I am not saying I have it all figured out; I have my own subset of life’s enticements. But we all need to ask the question, “Just how important is it for us to spend time with the Lord?”  Is He the Bread of Life who sustains us, or just a snack every now and then? It is important for Him to spend time with us. In Revelation 3:20 He proclaims, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” In the ancient world, food and meals were synonymous with intimacy and fellowship. The picture here is that Christ is asking for intimacy and He is waiting for an invitation. He desires intimacy with us. He is patiently waiting for time with you. He so wants to develop a deeper relationship with you.

Look across that crowded room. Do you see a person patiently waiting? Is He a priority or a convenience? How many more numbers does Christ have to endure until it’s His “turn”? In spite of all those distractions in that room, tell Him, “I will see you now.”

Answer the door, have a meal with the Chef of Life. You will not be sorry!