Food of Relationship

“It’s a compliment, not abandonment” when the silences of God come to us.

Do you, like me, play your heart out all the time? In the past, this action has produced some very sticky situations, where out of obligation rather than love, relationships have led to misplaced loyalties resulting in little or no forward process. With each new understanding, I return to the word to see what character might have found themselves in a similar situation. Let’s take Peter.

Assuming a leadership role for Peter was a “no brainer” as a prophetic type, he easily connected to taking a key position among the twelve disciples. Why, because of his God-given design, he could see the macro or micro view of a given situation. With great sweeping statements Peter, like me, have been known for a few of these but the kicker is – some of those proclamations have come back to bite and cost dearly.

We ran too swiftly, putting design and pictures together based on what we had seen God do, or past patterns which become normative to our way of anticipating God to come in a particular way. Times like this is when pause is necessary, is this direction we desire so badly, God’s idea or our own. What comes up missing when we push through without pause is tat we devalue the trust of relationship with Him filled with love and intimacy for just me, just as I am, in all my lack, failure, and fears.   

We may find it easy to keep on moving forward in God’s silences, but perhaps like Peter, it’s really time to rest and reflect. Peter, you and I will be tempted to set our gaze on the principles of moving forward and miss the person of Christ and His presence with us, as we are.

In this season, it is imperative each one of us to learn the lesson that only relationship can teach us. How many poorly managed decisions I’ve made that left me feeling like I missed God. But His silences are meant to train my heart to beckon trust to come find me and the hidden confidence that He has in me to keep running back to Him.

We only lose our place in His plan when we miss the rest of relationship and His delight to prepare a “table set before us” in His mercy in relationship with Him. Here truth and mercy meet and kiss the earth in cornerstone of the Christ who redeems all things.

YES, go after what God and what He is saying, but may we first…look through the lens of relationship. Watching for His nudges to receive His provision and the assets set all around us. Today, savor Him, ponder, celebrate, expound on how you feel, delight in His twinkle alive in the atmosphere, welcome Him, and learn the value which comes first from receiving the treasure already prepared for you.

As Christ was on the beach with Peter, what was an old way of doing things (Peter going to fish) became a banquet meal prepared by the Master’s hand and served to one who longed to do well and had failed so miserably.

Peter had been fishing because that is what he knew to do from past experience, but Christ was calling Peter to a new way of receiving relationship. The fish was already caught, prepared and with a new language of words, presented to Peter, both to consume and feed others. Though Peter had returned to what he knew to do - fishing, filled with condemnation for his denial of his Lord, yet the King awaited Peter with a welcome of love, and meal that became covenant of salt[1].

This act was one of pure love. Yes, a call to embrace a new challenges but a birthing of a deeper level of trust only possible through the benevolence of the One who first offered His presence. Intimacy is our bread and wine, the first fruits of relationship is ours and the true and perfect food to feed the nations.

[1] https://www.biblestudy.org/question/covenant-of-salt.html#google_vignette