A Prayer and Fasting Devotional
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” - Luke 14:7-11
Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” - Luke 14:7-11
God is actively involved with humbling or exalting for His purposes and glory. Where do we fall in this parable? Do we automatically look for places of honor, worldly importance, or significance? We may not pursue these things consciously. Maybe it is by force of habit that we take the place of honor because we are the leader of our family, or a team, or an organization. It may seem as though that’s just where we are supposed to sit. Or maybe the world places us in that seat, saying: “You should be in this place of importance or honor; you have a degree from Harvard or Dartmouth, or this title, or this level of salary.” Of course, we really could be driven by our human nature, desiring to be seen as important or honorable. It feels good; it makes us feel like we’ve made it. We have status.
The Lord actively and graciously moves us out of these places as He humbles us. Today as we fast, let us cultivate an attitude and active desire to humble ourselves before the Lord. In our intentional decision to fast, to forego our desire to eat as we feel we deserve, let us bring our heart along, too, allowing the Lord to shape it, so that we humbly take our seat where He desires. Let us take our seat lovingly before Him and others throughout the day as we hunger and thirst for Him. Let us allow Him to give us sight where we have been blindly following worldly habits or fleshly desires, breaking us of any desire to find our identity in being seated in worldly places of importance.
May we desire instead to hear, “Friend, move up higher,” when the time comes to celebrate at a great wedding feast with our Lord.
Ministry Director at Dartmouth
