Eagerly Awaiting; Spiritual Salivation
Everyone knows what it means to salivate.
Whether you’re a medium-rare steak guy or a German chocolate cake kinda girl there is something we all prefer to such a degree that our mouths may, at times, water over its anticipation. It’s almost bewildering that a belief in the mind that something good is about to bless our taste buds can elicit a physical response in our mouths.
As Christians, we believe there is something much more savory than food. If it’s true, that Jesus is our true food (John 6:57), should not there be some kind of anticipation akin to salivating for Him? Paul seems to think so. In his letter to the Philippians, he reminds the church how they are different than the world, whose god is their stomachs, then reminds them that their citizenship is in heaven. And because this is true, “we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20-21). That is to say, the savory contemplation of one day enjoying the presence of Jesus, creates a response in us now, a sort of spiritual salivation.
Indeed, when we believe the steak is going to be incredible, we salivate. But when we believe the meal to be bland, our appetites wane. Does not a bride eagerly await the day of her nuptials when she will not just be married, but finally be in union with her bridegroom? Shouldn’t her heart flutter imagining the thought of hearing the words, “I do”? Yet, as mouthwatering as a good steak is, and as good as marriage can be, they both point our hearts to the best meat (Isaiah 25:6), a greater Bread (John 6:35) and a greater Bridegroom (John 3:29); the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eagerly awaiting is a form of spiritual salivation, but it’s not stationary. Like the men waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, they readied themselves for service and kept watch (Luke 12:35-40). Similarly, eagerly awaiting is both joyful anticipation and enthusiastic preparation.
With these thoughts in mind, is your soul salivating for Jesus these days? Or are there other options on the plate your appetite is more interested in? Would you characterize your appetite for union with Jesus as “eagerly awaiting” or blasé?
If there’s something in you that wants more of Jesus, wants more of this “eagerly awaiting”, Burke Care would love to walk alongside you in that journey
