On this mountain the LORD of Armies will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of aged wines, with the best cuts of meat, and with the finest wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that covers all peoples, the burial cloth stretched over all nations. He has swallowed up death forever! The LORD God will wipe away the tears from every face. He will take away the shame of his people throughout the earth. For the LORD has spoken. On that day it will be said, “Look, here is our God! We waited for him, and he saved us! This is the LORD! We waited for him. Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”
Isaiah 25:6-9
Best Food Ever
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
When Jayden was growing up, his mom would always make his favorite food on his birthday. He looked forward to sitting down at the table with his parents and sisters and getting the first plate. Do you have a similar tradition in your house? If so, what kind of food do you pick? Jayden always picked spaghetti!
Food is something that we crave. It’s something that we enjoy. It’s something we look forward to. Think about the thirty minutes before lunch when you are at school. Sometimes all you can think about is food, especially when it’s chicken nuggets (or insert in that blank whatever your favorite school lunch meal is). When your parents have a night to spend together, they often go out to eat, don’t they? And my guess is that they might even have a favorite restaurant!
It makes sense that God connects his wonderful message of forgiveness, new life, and salvation to food, doesn’t it? He says that he is going to give us “a banquet of rich food…with the best cuts of meat.” Sounds even better than spaghetti! Of course it is! God’s food is the best ever! It means that your sins are forgiven. It means that “he has swallowed up death forever!” It means that all the things in this life that you don’t like such as tears, pain, and sadness will forever be things of the past when God takes you home to heaven.
And what makes these verses so comforting is the fact that God is the one giving this to us. He is preparing the feast! He is getting rid of the darkness! He is wiping away the tears! He is taking away the shame! He is doing the saving! He is the one who took on human flesh to live a perfect life for us, to die on the cross for us, and to rise from the dead for us!
One of Jayden’s favorite hymns is called “Jerusalem the Golden.” Listen to the words of the first stanza:
“Jerusalem the golden, with milk and honey blest—
the sight of it refreshes the weary and oppressed.
I know not, oh, I know not what joys await us there,
what radiancy of glory, what bliss beyond compare.”
(Christian Worship 890:1)
Whenever we think of how much God loves us—and all the good food he gives us now and promised to us forever, we can’t help but join Isaiah in saying, “Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”
Closing Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for everything you have given us, but nothing is better than forgiveness and salvation. Give us peace today as we taste how good these gifts are through Jesus! Amen.
The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.
Questions for Younger Children
- Name your favorite food.
- Next time you eat your favorite food, what can it remind you of?
Questions for Elementary Age Children
- From the verses we looked at today, what description of God’s gifts to you did you like the best? (If needed, read through the verses one more time.)
- Just like God gives you your daily bread, how does he want to continue to fill you up spiritually?
Questions for Middle School and Above
- List three of your least favorite things in this world. Based on those three, describe what heaven will be like.
- You don’t have to wait until heaven to receive God’s gifts for you. What gifts has God given to you now that will last for all eternity?
Used by permission from wels.net https://wels.net/family-devotion/fd20220422/
