Part 3: Will You Stay a Little Longer?

"I counsel you to buy from Me... salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see."
Revelation 3:18

What Happens at the King's Table?

One thing in Jesus' letter to the church of Laodicea has always captured my attention.

Before Jesus ever says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock," He tells the church they are lukewarm. Then, among the things He counsels them to buy, He tells them to anoint their eyes with eye salve so they can see.

Apparently, not being able to see has something to do with being lukewarm.

The church of Laodicea believed they needed nothing. They thought they were doing just fine. Yet Jesus said they were blind.

I've often wondered if that's where lukewarmness begins. Not because we've stopped believing in Jesus, but because we've stopped beholding HIM.

At the King's table, our eyes open more and more to behold HIM.

His beauty. His heart. His love. His wonder. We don't leave the same way we came.

We leave with the ever-growing warmth of Him all over us.

Perhaps that's how Jesus takes us from lukewarm to hot.

If You Tarry, I Will

Years ago, the Lord spoke five simple words to my heart.

"If you tarry, I will."

At the time I didn't fully understand what He meant. Then one day, I found out. I had been invited to an event, and as I walked through the doors, I sensed the Lord quietly speak those same words to my heart.

"If you tarry, I will."

Then I heard them again. And again. Three times. I knew He was inviting me to stay. There was an anticipation in the room. The worship was beautiful. The message was inspiring. It would have been easy to leave thankful for a wonderful evening.

Instead...

I lingered.

I stayed until the very end.

What happened next changed me forever.

The Lord revealed His glory in a way I cannot explain and will never, ever forget. It wasn't something anyone could have planned or manufactured. It wasn't emotional hype or the perfect atmosphere. It was simply an encounter with His glory that forever marked my heart.

That day I finally understood what He had been teaching me.

Sometimes the sweetest moments happen after we would normally have left.

The Sweetest Moments Happen When We Linger

We live hurried lives, and it's easy to bring that same hurry into our relationship with Jesus. We pray. We read. We move on. Yet relationships don't grow that way.

When you're having dinner with someone you deeply love, you don't spend the evening looking at your watch or scrolling through your phone. You tarry because you enjoy the person sitting across from you. Sometimes the deepest conversations don't begin until the meal is almost over.

Perhaps it's the same with Jesus.

Some of those sweetest moments happen unexpectedly when we simply remain with our dining Companion.

Not striving. Not searching. Just lingering. Not because staying longer earns us anything. But because love isn't in a hurry.

The Invitation Never Ends

As I continued reading Jesus' words to the church of Laodicea, I noticed something else that filled me with wonder.

The invitation doesn't end at the table.

It ends with a throne.

"To the one who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."  Revelation 3:21

What an astonishing promise. The same Jesus who called a church lukewarm... The same Jesus who offered them eye salve so they could see... The same Jesus who stood outside their door knocking...

Now invites them to sit with Him on His throne.

What incredible grace.

It reminds me of another invitation:

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Hebrews 4:16

The table has always been prepared with mercy and grace. Every invitation has been drawing us closer to His heart. Closer to His glory. Closer to the confidence that we are always welcome before the King.

Perhaps that's why the invitation never ends.

Every time we open the door... Every time we take our seat... Every time we choose to stay a little longer...

Our eyes open a little more to behold HIM.

And as they do, we leave with the ever-growing warmth of Him all over us. One day we realize we aren't simply visiting the King's table anymore.

We've become captivated by the King Himself.

He's Still Waiting

Tomorrow His invitation will still be there. Tomorrow the table will still be beautifully prepared. Tomorrow His mercy will still be new. Tomorrow His grace will still be sufficient.

When you hear His knock again...

Don't rush away.

Stay.

Just a little longer.

You never know what He may choose to reveal when you do.