Standing at the Edge of More: Why We Hesitate at God's Buffet
There's a profound moment that happens when we encounter abundance we never imagined possible—a moment of hesitation, wonder, and sometimes paralysis.
Picture two young men from war-torn Croatia, standing frozen at the entrance of an American breakfast buffet. They had worked tirelessly rebuilding a church, their greatest dream simply to ride a roller coaster in the United States. When that dream became reality and they arrived at a restaurant, they couldn't move. "You mean we can just eat as much as we want?" they asked in disbelief, standing on the edge of provision they'd never known.
That image captures something essential about our relationship with God. We stand at the edge of His goodness, His grace, His power—everything available, everything offered—yet we remain frozen, ankle-deep in an ocean of possibility, never fully entering in.
The Checklist Mentality
Jesus confronted this tendency head-on when the Pharisees questioned why His disciples broke tradition. His response cuts through religious performance: "These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain. Their teachings are but rules taught by men" (Matthew 15:7-9).
It's startlingly easy to be close to God and not have a relationship with Him at all. We can know what to say, show up at the right places, check off the spiritual boxes, and still have hearts that remain distant. We want the checklist—just tell us what to do—when God wants something far more costly and far more beautiful: He wants us.
The Christian life is so much more than going through motions. It's about surrender, intimacy, and transformation that makes us fundamentally different than we were before.
What God Doesn't Have
When the rich young ruler approached Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life, he represented all of us who approach God thinking we can earn our way in. He'd kept the commandments. He'd done everything right. "What do I still lack?" he asked.
Jesus' answer pierced through to the heart: "Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (Matthew 19:21).
This isn't a universal command to poverty. It's a surgical strike at whatever sits on the throne of our hearts. What has you? What are you unwilling to surrender?
Here's a stunning thought: God doesn't have everything.
He doesn't have your love unless you give it. He doesn't have your trust unless you offer it. He doesn't have your worship, your loyalty, your time, your devotion, your prayers, your full attention, or your heart—unless you surrender them.
That's what He's asking for. Not another item checked off a list. Not external compliance. He wants all of who you are.
The Eye of the Needle
Jesus told His disciples it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. While scholars debate the exact meaning, one compelling interpretation involves the small gates in fortified cities—secondary entrances used at night when the main gates closed.
To get a camel through that narrow passage, you'd have to unload everything it carried. The camel would need to come on its knees, crawl through bent down and humbled. Only then could the belongings follow.
You can't enter God's kingdom carrying all your mess, all your self-sufficiency, all your pride. You have to unpack. You have to come humbly, on your knees.
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).
He Must Become Greater
John the Baptist understood his role perfectly. When his disciples worried that everyone was going to Jesus instead of staying with John, he responded with profound clarity: "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30).
John saw himself as the best man preparing the way for the groom. His job was to make sure nothing stood in the way, to announce the coming of the one who truly mattered, then to step aside.
Our lives follow the same pattern. As God peels back the layers—like peeling an onion—we become more sensitive to His will. The core gets smaller. Our self gets smaller. Christ becomes greater.
This is the path to more: becoming less so He can fill us completely.
Thirsting in the Desert
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Psalm 42:1-2).
Do we long for God with that intensity? Are we desperate for His presence, unable to go on until we've pressed in and given Him lordship?
The same psalm acknowledges the tension we all feel: "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God."
We can simultaneously thirst for God and struggle with discouragement. We can desire more while feeling downcast. The answer isn't to deny those feelings but to push through them, to press in even when it's hard.
In moments of despair, when we're looking for others to fill the gap and they're not available, we discover something powerful: God never fails. When we call on Him, He is there. He is faithful.
The Gentle Whisper
Why does God speak in a gentle whisper rather than a shout? Because shouts come from a distance, but whispers require closeness.
God is near. He's close to the brokenhearted. He blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. He promises to do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20).
But before God can do more with us, He must do more in us. We must surrender more to Him.
Drawing Near
"Come near to God and he will come near to you" (James 4:8).
Here's a simple truth: You are as close to God as you want to be. If you want more of Him, He wants more of you. He's already all in. The question is whether we'll give Him that place, whether we'll prepare the way by removing what doesn't belong.
The more we're longing for isn't just knowing more about God. It's knowing and believing who He is—truly believing Him for salvation, for lordship, for surrender.
This belief should change everything: our conversations, how we live, how we praise, how we give, how we interact with people. We shouldn't sound the same anymore. Transformation brings evidence.
The invitation stands: Come to the buffet. Don't just stand at the edge in awe. Enter in. Wade deeper than ankle-deep. Surrender what you're holding onto. Let Him have the throne of your heart.
He's ready to give you more than you can imagine. The question is: Are you ready to give Him all of you?
