The Whisper II
Originally scheduled for February 1
As I wander, hungry, thirsty, lost, alone,
I hear the whisper of
my name.
"Come to the table. Your name is written on My hand.
Come to the table. Your name is hidden in My heart.
Come to the
table and live."
The word “wander” in the English language has
come to have to different emotional meanings to it. One of them is
the word we would use to say, “I wandered the shopping mall.”
There’s no sense of loneliness or of being lost; just a sense of no
particular purpose. The other meaning is much more clearly
threatening. There is a sense of having no real direction, or
purpose and what you’re doing. In the spiritual sense, it needs to
be without guidance. The words hungry and thirsty describe it well,
both in the physical sense (I’m lost and where’s the McDonald’s) and
in the spiritual sense. When you have that sense of being lost,
spiritually, you will also have the sensation of being hungry and
thirsty. Perhaps the most terrifying thing about being lost is that
you usually are doing it alone. Worse yet you may have some people
following you thinking that you are there only hope. It focuses your
mind quite wonderfully when this happens. When it does, listen for
the whisper of your name. Christ is the ultimate gentleman. He will
not barge into your life with overwhelming promise, supported by a
brass band. You will recall Elijah: earthquake, wind and fire were
his lost in the desert moments; but God spoke to him in a” still
small voice.” Listen for it.
The poet tells us that our Lord has your name
written on his hand. Have you ever tie the string around your finger
to remind you to do something? It’s as if our Lord wants to make so
sure of finding you and rescuing you that he writes your name on his
hand so that he will be ever mindful to look for the one he loves.
Unlike the string, this is written. That means that it is a
permanent record. Christ will never stop searching for you.
Of course, just because someone is looking for
you doesn’t mean they’re searching for you — they could be hunting
you. The poet assures us that he has hidden your name in his heart.
This tells us that he loves you, and it makes it doubly certain that
he knows you by name. You’re not just a number on the roster; you
are a child of God.
What does he ask of you? The poet tells us that
he wants you to come to the table. He wants to share his holy meal
with you. He wants you to be one who can partake of the body and
blood of Christ in good conscience, in fellowship with the church.
As you partake today, remember that he came to seek and save the
lost — and that includes you.
