Waiting vs. Serving

When I was 16, I got my first job at a Mexican restaurant known for its neon signs and nachos. I started as a hostess and worked my way to waitressing. This restaurant was good to me, sustaining me through high school, summers in college, and graduate school.

Working in a restaurant is not for the faint of heart. I developed some thick skin and supreme multitasking abilities. (I also burned some nerve endings off my fingertips.) Even though I haven’t worked in this role for years, every now and then I’ll have a dream that I’m back waiting tables.

Several months ago I had one of these dreams. It was quite vivid. The restaurant was packed with staff and people. My section was super full. I was trying to take one table’s order. Three elderly ladies were giving me the most detailed, high-maintenance meal requests. At one point I said, “I don’t even think that’s on the menu.” I was confused and couldn’t keep up with the demand.

The next day, the Lord started showing me the meaning: This is a picture of prayerlessness.

This is what it looks like when I attempt to do God’s job. I try to manage all the demands alone. It leads to striving in my own (very limited) understanding and strength. It’s a recipe for stress and anxiety.

Can you relate? We know there’s a more excellent way!

Jesus is flipping some tables. He wants to decimate all the distractions so you can commune with Him.

There's a spiritual practice called listening prayer that helps us quiet the chatter (internal and external) so we can hear God’s voice and sense His sweet presence. This type of prayer allows God to set the table, prepare the meal, and guide the conversation.

When you have dinner at someone’s home, you don’t choose the menu. All you have to do is sit down, relax, and enjoy the evening as it unfolds. That’s what it’s like in our Father’s house.

Think of it this way: You’re first a waiter, not a server. Your primary occupation is to wait on God, not to serve other interests, demands, or worries. You’re listening to His words and just savoring the moment, fully present.

Remember Mary and Martha? (See Luke 10:38-42.) Martha was serving; Mary was sitting with Jesus. Martha voiced her frustration with her sister directly to Jesus, giving Him an order: “Tell her to help me!”

I love the Lord’s response: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42 NASB).

Only one thing is necessary. Oh, how easily we forget! So here’s a gentle reminder…

There’s an open invitation to wait on the Lord and feast at His table. Sit at His feet. Hang on His words. Enjoy His presence. Let Him anoint you with the oil of intimacy. He wants you to rest, receive, and take orders from Him first, not other people.

Enjoy!

Chelsea