THE CONTINUAL FEAST

Proverbs 15:15

“For the despondent, everyday brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”

That’s Life. Two words that have managed to find their way into my vocabulary over recent times thanks to an irresistible melody composed by the one and only Frank Sinatra. Now apart from the fact that this catchy line is fun to use in nearly every scenario life chucks at you, I’ve found myself stumbling down a rabbit hole of indefinitely overthinking a throwaway line to fit a chorus.

That’s life. What is this thing called life? What is my life? How does this life thing work? Exploring these questions within a Christian framework has begun to get the ball rolling, being a massive help when beginning to wrap my head around the concept of how to navigate this thing called life.

And it’s within this context of exploration that we find ourselves focusing today on a singular verse in a book literally called the book of wisdom; Proverbs. And my goodness does this book have wisdom!

“For the despondent, everyday brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”

As I have pondered over each word, this verse has become an ever-increasing stronghold for hope and a lifeline. Who knew a fifteen word sentence could leave such an imprint on one’s heart? As I type this blog now, it stares at me bluetacked to my uni room wall serving as a much-needed daily reminder.

Its simplicity is its biggest attribute. However, do not underestimate its significance.

In this blog we will unpack Proverbs 15:15 in order to digest as much of the spiritual nutrients. Let’s begin with the most important question when exploring scripture.

What does this reveal about God?

God is our chef. Don’t take that literally… although I would not be opposed to the idea. As we focus our attention to the end of the verse, Solomon (most likely the author) describes the life that we live as a potential feast. Yet, he doesn’t just describe it as just a one-time experience, but rather uses the adjective of continual. Life is understood as never-ending, or everlasting.

Solomon’s chosen description for my life is unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and slightly strange (if I dare say it). I’m imagining the looks I would get from my uni mates in class as the small talk question of “what’s the craic?” is met with my response of “Good good yea… I’m just living a continual feast!” I can feel my hands getting clammy as I type this imaginary reaction. It’s unfamiliar language!

It would have been familiar, however, to those who would have read this at the time. In fact, the idea of feasting was a common concept. Within the Old and New Testaments, feasting was an occasion usually marked for celebration. A moment of joy and on many occurrences, a distinct moment to be reminded of the nature of God. An example of this is the Passover: A major Jewish holiday that celebrates the exodus story of the Israelites escaping slavery in Egypt. It is celebrated in most Jewish households every year in April. This feast serves as an ever-present reminder of the faithfulness of God and his provision for his people.

Now focusing back to the passage, what does the idea of a continual celebration look like in our lives? I think we can all agree that life doesn’t always seem like this. But if this verse is to be truly believed, what does the concept of living a continual feast mean?

Firstly, this passage is stretching our minds to embrace a greater reality. For those who choose to follow Jesus, there is abundant life available regardless of circumstance. A reality that breaks the anticipation of daily trouble. In other words, God doesn’t settle for His people to accept the life that only this world can offer. Hallelujah! Psalm 23:5 puts it best. It says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…” And at this table, God is the chef cooking up a storm to be enjoyed by His people.

Often we tend to only see the physical and the tangible. We tend to become overindulged in the things of this world, in our own circumstances, with what’s going on around us. “My job just sucks at the minute”, or “My family are being a real pain”, or “That worship leader chose that worship song I really hate” (often mine).

As big or as small, as serious or as trivial, God does not disregard the things that you or I may face, but He does invite us to become more focused on our reality in Him than that of the world. In short, God cares more about how you handle the situation you are in right now over the destination in which you hope to be. I have found myself mumbling “Lord I’ll be joyful and give you all that I am when I know what job I’m meant to do”, or “Jesus I’ll live generously to those around me just when I get to x amount of cash”.

But unfortunately (or should I say fortunately) God doesn’t work on our terms, but rather on His terms. As Bill Johnson says, “He doesn’t work for me, I work for Him”. He’s God, and we are not. In His grace, He invites me and my mumbling to search out the feast at hand, leaving the outcome to Him. To surrender my understanding. And in this passage we see that there is a feast clearly available despite what scenario we are in.

God longs for us to ask the questions both in the good and the more difficult situations: “God, where is this continual feast you have promised in your word?”, or “God, where is the table that you have prepared?”

How we journey our circumstances will ultimately determine whether we will find the feast in our everyday. The passage states that for those who are despondent, they will find trouble in each day they live. No matter how well their life is going, they will always have that critical spirit searching out the trouble in their everyday. While those with a happy heart, however, will continually feast. God gives us the responsibility of perspective. We get the chance to control how we will respond to the circumstance in which we are in.

As God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more (Hebrews 13:8), His character has not wavered from the Garden until now. He expresses His love for His people through generously giving us a choice (which is a far messier method, but a far more loving one!). I’m sure many of you will be familiar with the analogy of someone being described as either a glass half full sort of person, or a glass half empty one. As cliche as it is, under the covers lies the critical point of perspective.

The level of measure in which we can feast will always be determined by the lens in which we view our everyday. The lack I experience in my situation is never to be a blame game towards God, but an opportunity to look in the mirror and redefine my perspective. God’s part is preparing the feast, my job is to seek, find and eat.

What does this stir within me?

We can now focus on what this stirs inside us. We have established what this passage reveals about the nature of God, that He provides a reality for us to live in where we can continually feast, and that He gives us the choice of perspective. Or put another way, where on the road in this passage does our hearts begin to burn as the friends did on the road to Emmaus.

As I read and reread these fifteen words, I am aware that there is surge of hunger to feast. A hunger for experiencing this feast on a daily basis. A hunger to see joy, peace, and celebration as constant figures in my daily life. To have a heart that is tender to lean towards the hope the Lord has promised, rather than expecting disappointment. A hunger to be under the banner of sonship or daughterhood, rather than that of an orphan spirit, where the fear of lack is abolished and abundance is available. This is the continual feast.

See if we make this more personalised, I want you to cast your mind back to the greatest feast you ever had. Maybe it was the biggest Chinese buffet of multiple different dishes, or a pristine Italian restaurant. Think about it. Did you eat until you heart was content? Did the meal satisfy you? Or were you focused on whether you wouldn’t get enough of the food? Did it leave you wanting to eat the meal in the future again? I’m in danger of labouring the point, but I’m trying to paint the picture that this memorable feast you had was hopefully a positive experience. As you savoured each flavour, you probably weren’t thinking of lack in that moment. In other words, the occasion of the feast outweighed the fear of not having enough. You became overwhelmed with the deliciousness of the meal, that your focus was only on enjoying the occasion while fear of lack faded into the background. And in a strange way, I feel this example can reflect part of the nature of this passage.

As we find the feast that God has prepared for us in every circumstance as we have already covered, we get to become overwhelmed by the goodness of God while our troubles fade away. He takes centre stage and the lights begin to dim, removing everything else around Him to become the sole focus. In other words, we can’t help but forget about the lack we may be experiencing in our own circumstance when we encounter the feast that He has for us.

Now the question begs, what is this feast? I like the idea that there is a reality I can live in where I am continually aware of God’s goodness in this so-called feast. But what does this actually mean? As I began to think a bit deeper around this idea, I felt myself being lured into a passage that I’m sure some of you will be familiar with. It’s a passage where Jesus is describing why He has come and what He has made available for the audience he spoke to, and for us today. John 10:10.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”

You want to know what this feast looks like? It’s this. Life and life to its fullest. As we submit our life to Jesus, we are actually laying down our right to be a victim of circumstance. We’re laying down our right to take well-argued and reasonable offence. We’re laying down the right to settle for a reality where we stay despondent in heart. Why? Because Jesus is inviting you and me to go and search out the feast. Search out the reality where we get to experience the life Jesus gives, not as a once off experience, but as a continual feast.

However, I am aware that there can be a danger when interpreting this scripture. And that danger is one of escapism. Maybe as you have been reading through this you are thinking this all sounds close to fairy-tale-ish? The idea of feasting, living life to the full, etc. But to this reasonable scrutiny, I want to delve back once again to what the verse says.

“For the despondent, everyday brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”

Note the context for this verse revolves around everyday life. And this everyday life for those with a happy heart is a continual celebration. But focusing on the everyday, it is clear that this term doesn’t only mean the good days while disregarding the bad ones. It’s talking about our everyday life. Those really good weeks where everything works out, and those bad weeks where everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong. It’s talking about those days and everything in between. So, it could be said that this rules out the fantasy element.

Unfortunately escapism isn’t part of the kingdom. I wish it was. The idea that I can just forget everything this life throws at me, but it’s not kingdom living, and it’s certainly not God. It’s too cheap an offer. God will only settle for fullness, and the type of fullness in John 10:10, life to its fullest. It must be an everyday reality; in every moment we live.

It’s the feast that should also stir mission in our hearts and remove self-indulgence. The focus in not only about how much I can feast personally, but rather an outward focused motion. The idea to bring as many others as possible to this feast. The table is never-ending, ever expanding, and always including. And maybe you are reading this wondering, “is this available for me?” Which the answer is a resounding categoric yes! I’m sorry for the ones who have said it’s for those who have it all together, it’s not for the full, it’s for the hungry.

I hope this has got your heart beginning to burn a little more as we approach the end of the road.

Application

Coming into land in our journey of exploring this verse, I will use a final example to look to tie up some final thoughts. We’ve explored God’s nature, our hearts have started to burn, so now what? What does this change from this moment onwards?

My initial thought is everything.

Taking one last look at the verse it is clear to identify that the heart is a key vehicle to get to the feasting destination, “For the happy heart...” See when we look at the cultural moment we find ourselves in today, it would be logical to argue that it is the mind rather than the heart that is the current driving vehicle.

Think about it. What are the things that people are told have value. Money, power, influence, social media appearance, sex, etc. The physical and tangible ‘riches’ this world has to offer. But how many times have you said,” they just have it all!” and then realise those people are just as broken as everyone else. Or what about the heart-warming but heart-breaking scenes of impoverished children with next to nothing but who seem to possess all the joy imaginable.

Our mind will only ever be as satisfied as our heart. In other words, my mind can’t make my heart be content, joyful, and continually feast and be satisfied on what this earth has to offer through logical thinking.” In the words of Jesus (Matt 4:4), we must not “live on bread alone” but rather feast on the living words of God. We must feast on what God provides, rather than what the world provides.

And someone who knew the weight of this more than anyone was the man we find in Luke 18 called the Rich Young Ruler. The Bible paints a picture of someone who isn’t a bad guy, values his faith, lives a relatively full life, but still has this unsatisfied desire for something more. I would like to suggest to you that this something more was a deep desire in his heart. A void that ticking all the religious boxes couldn’t fill or possessing any amount of wealth could satisfy. I find it interesting by how this individual’s desire for something more drove him towards Jesus rather than away from him. And is essence, that could be a lesson learnt in itself.

Regardless, the ruler was asked to sell everything and give it all to the poor. He was deeply saddened as he had great wealth. I imagine this caused great offence to his theology, as it has done to mine. But it was for a greater yes. If we want to truly go on the journey to find the continual feast in our everyday, our hearts just remain tender unto what the Lord asks of us.

As we learn to rejoice in our hearts despite the challenge in our circumstance, we can rest assured that this posture attracts the abundant feast that the Lord has for us and those around us. Everyday.

This is the continual feast.