November 25, 2021
Feasting When Your Circumstances Feel Like a Wilderness
Katy McCown
Today’s Truth
My soul will feast and be satisfied, and I will sing glad songs of praise to you
(Psalm 63:5 GNT).
Friend to Friend
I stood near the sink with my chin tucked tightly to my chest. I was supposed to be happy. This is a time of celebration, I told myself; but though the holidays were upon us, I didn’t feel the fullness that all of the television shows and commercials portrayed.
My table wasn’t perfectly decorated. In fact, it wasn’t decorated at all. My kitchen didn’t overflow with the smells of a turkey cooked just right. No one was coming to gather around my table, and my life circumstances left me feeling alone and empty.
Thanksgiving feasts have taken all shapes and sizes in my family. For many years we lived thousands of miles from home, so for a holiday feast we gathered around the table with friends and co-workers who had become like family.
Other times, we found ourselves in a new place without even friends nearby. So, my family’s holiday feast included only me, my husband and our small children.
A few years ago we moved closer to home and celebrated Thanksgiving gathered around a huge table that still wasn’t big enough to fit all of our family! And this year, after losing two family members over the span of only a few months, our feasting will be a little quieter than it has been in years past.
When I read today’s truth I imagine a feast. My thoughts drift to a lavish table, beautifully decorated and full of the finest foods. Words like satisfied and sing leap off of the page, and I’m tempted to try to arrange my circumstances so that everything is perfect and I too can experience this abundance of joy and celebration.
But when we read the verses that surround this one Scripture it paints a very different picture. Instead of a feast, it’s famine. Instead of the wonderment of fellowship, it’s wilderness. David wrote Psalm 63:5 when he was in the wilderness of Judah, “My soul will feast and be satisfied, and I will sing glad songs of praise to you” (Psalm 63:5 GNT).
And while I’m sure none of us would ever wish for the wilderness, I’m encouraged because this truth shows us, a feast is not reserved for the choicest of circumstances. When our circumstances leave us empty, we can still feast and be satisfied.
In fact, this isn’t the only time that Scripture speaks of feasting in unlikely places.
In Psalm 23 David writes of how the Lord prepares a feast for him in front of his enemies (Psalm 23:5). Jesus also found sustenance in the wilderness when He told His accuser, Satan, man doesn’t live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord (Matthew 4:4).
I recently spoke with two women in completely different circumstances and on opposite sides of the country. Both told me about difficult circumstances, unanswered questions and uncertainties that they were currently facing. Both of them also spoke of the satisfaction they’d found in God’s Word.
This feasting was found through a pattern of continually and consistently coming to Scripture. They didn’t speak of one moment that seemed to change everything for them. Instead, they both told of God’s faithfulness and the intimacy they found with Him that came only from meeting with Him day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, in His Word.
A feast is often present in the midst of a celebration. So as I’ve sought to apply feasting on God’s Word in my life. I’ve started looking for reasons to celebrate. Whether it’s a simple text sent to celebrate someone’s birthday or a pause to praise God for an answered prayer, we can feast on God’s Word and His goodness even in the midst of the most uncertain circumstances.
What is one way you can feast this holiday season no matter what circumstances surround you?
Let’s Pray
Dear God, You are my portion. I have all that I need. Thank You for quenching every thirst and satisfying every hunger of my soul. Today, help me feast on the riches of Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What can you celebrate today?
Look for one thing that points to God’s goodness and activity in your life or someone else’s then pause long enough to acknowledge and celebrate it!
More from the Girlfriends
Katy would love for you to join her on the Best Day Ever podcast. This season has been all about prayer. This month Katy’s guests share about prayer walking, praying for a friend and Katy goes deeper into Jesus’ prayer, “give us this day our daily bread.” Click here to listen now.
© 2021 by Katy McCown. All rights reserved.
Originally published Thursday, 25 November 2021.
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