Starving At An ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT Buffet
by Hannah Keeley
My 17-year-old son, Karis, is perpetually hungry. I honestly can’t remember the last time he sat back at the dinner table, patted his stomach, and said, “That’s it. I’m full.” He usually finishes a meal, gets seconds, and then starts rummaging through the fridge for more. He reminds me of Zac Efron’s character in the movie, “17 Again,” who eats everything he can get his hands on, top it off with a can of whipped cream, and then complains about being hungry “…all the time!
The other day…
Karis was standing in the kitchen looking dazed and confused (not an unusual thing). I asked him what was wrong and he clutched his stomach and said, “I’m just so hungry!” I proceeded to give him a private tour of the kitchen. I opened up the fridge and showed him the sliced turkey, pasta salad, carrots, barbecue chicken, and leftover beans and rice. I then opened the cabinet doors and showed him the peanut butter and bread. I then took him into the pantry and showed him the pretzels and popcorn. I showed him the basket of fresh fruit on the counter. Then I said, “Help yourself!”
Did I mention he is seventeen years old? When he was a baby I would spoon-feed him applesauce and bananas. I would put assorted cheerios on his high chair table, which he would usually throw all over the place. But the days of spoon-feeding are over. He knows where the food is and there is plenty of it, so pull open those cabinet doors and help yourself.
This may be typical teenage boy behavior, but it’s also typical behavior of a lot of believers. We gripe about being hungry for God’s favor, while standing smack-dab in the middle of an All-You-Can-Eat Grace Buffet! It’s true! We beg God for something He’s already provided, because we haven’t developed the ability to get up and make a plate for ourselves.
How do we make a plate? We open the Word of God and place our order!
You beg God to give you enough money to fill your needs when He has already promised in “supply all your needs” (Philippians 4:19).
You plead for God to be with you as you go through a tough time when He has already promised He “will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
You ask for God to heal you when He has already said “by His stripes you were healed” (Isaiah 53:5) and with “long life would He satisfy you” (Psalm 91:16).
For so long, people have had it backwards. They’ve been starving to death at an all-you-can-eat buffet! Instead of begging to get your needs filled, step up to the buffet of God’s Word and claim what is already yours. We all know what we need, just very few know how to get their needs filled. Most people want to be spoon-fed, but the days of spoon-feeding are over. Babies grow up. And believers grow up. We need to learn how to pull up a chair and join in the feast instead of begging for some crumbs to fall from the table.
Instead of begging, start believing. A feast has been laid out. God’s Word is the one-stop shop for everything you could need in this life, and everything you could want as well. He even said, in Psalm 23 that with Him as a Shepherd, we would have no wants. He promised to fill our needs and He loves to fill our wants as well. He’s a good Daddy and He loves to bless His children.
Sometimes I think His heart breaks with all the blessing that goes to waste. I don’t know about you, but as a mom, I can’t stand wasted food. I’ve even pulled apples out of the trash before with just a few bites out of them and used it for smoothies. (don’t freak out. I washed them.) Just think about all the blessing that goes to waste because people don’t know how to claim it. So, claim it.
How do you claim it? You claim it just like you would claim anything. By speaking it! If I was walking to my car in a parking lot and I saw someone try to get in it and drive away, I would probably holler out, “Hey! That’s my car!” (On second thought, I would probably wonder why on earth someone would be trying to get in a 15-passenger blue van with a stickers all over the windows and a huge gash down the side.) But the point is, I would say something!
Start speaking God’s promises over your life right now. Instead of asking for enough money, thank Him that He has already generously supplied for all of your needs according to His riches (and that’s a whole lot more than your riches!). Instead of begging for healing, thank Him that He has already healed you. Are you getting this? Because this is how you make a plate at the Grace Buffet. You claim it. You speak it. And then you receive it!
Now, let me ask you something.
If you place an order at a restaurant, do you start bellyachin’ about being hungry? No way, you get excited about the meal that is coming to your table! That’s exactly how it works with the Grace Buffet. When you claim it, you get excited. Don’t start back-tracking and think it’s not coming. Believe with everything in you that God is Who He said He is and He will do what He says He will do. He is not a man that He would lie. So, if He promised it, it’s coming.
Are you hungry? Are you ready to step up to the buffet and get yourself a heapin’ helpin’ of God’s goodness? The Word always works. We just have to put the Word to work! Leave a comment and let me know what you are believing for. I would love to pull up a chair and share this scrumptious miraculous meal with you!
Hannah Keeley was once in overwhelmed mom living in a cluttered house, deep in debt, out of shape, and barely hanging on. But one day, after finding herself sobbing uncontrollably into a pile of clean laundry, she realized God has bigger and better plans for her (just like He does for each one of His children). Beginning that day, she began making changes in her life that took her from overwhelmed to overjoyed. Today, she’s helping moms do the same. Hannah, her husband, Blair, and their seven children live in Richmond, Virginia, and are having the time of their lives!
Check out Hannah’s Website Here!
