Undeserved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91hHw1YPqxE

Communion ~ (feat. Steffany Gretzinger & Brandon Lake) Maverick City

 

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ~ 1 Corinthians 11:23 NIV

 

As I stood before the Table, this was the first time I’d had a hard time approaching and partaking. As I stood there, staring at the Elements, I heard Holy Spirit say, “You are under the impression that you’ve ever deserved this. It’s always been undeserved.” The word undeserved hung in the air. It wrapped all around me and sat on me. But it wasn’t heavy. Quite the contrary, it was entirely freeing.

 

un·de·served. Un- meaning, “not,” and -ed indicating past tense, left only deserve. What I discovered helped me understand why it was so freeing. De- is a preposition, meaning, “from…out of,” and finally, serve comes from Middle English, Old French, and Latin, all words being equivalent to “slave,” (dictionary.com). Undeserved, therefore, is not-from-slavery. It can’t be earned. That’s what makes it grace.

 

Though I was welcome at the Lord’s Table, as His Bride, from the first time I put my faith and trust in Him, it was 15 years ago that I heard Him call me there. In 2007, I was suffering from pain, and it wasn’t getting better. One morning at church, I received prayer for healing. During the prayer, Holy Spirit spoke to me about receiving healing from the Lord’s Table. He said, “When you take the Bread, see My flesh bonding with your flesh, healing your flesh. When you take the Cup, see My blood flowing through your blood, washing away every sickness and disease.” It’s been 15 years, and His words have never left me. Though I am not always good at utilizing this beautiful and precious gift, I’ve never, before, hesitated to eat at His Table.

 

Prior to now, any pain or sickness I’d experienced was something that happened to me, not due to my own stupidity. And that’s how the devil got me. It was easier to believe the lie that previous times of healing were “deserved” because they weren’t my own fault. This time, however, I didn’t deserve healing, nor to even ask for it, because I’d made a dumb choice. That’s when the Lord stepped in and called me back to His Table. Standing there, staring at the Elements, a few words from the Lord, and everything changed.

 

It's not deserved. It can’t be earned. And that is what makes it grace.

©Heather Potts 2022