Bill Johnson - Great Treasure is in the Midst of Great Loss
Great treasure is in the middle of the greatest loss. You can feed your soul on whatever you want, but you have the opportunity to encounter God in a way that you’ll never experience outside of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. The Lord gave us statements like «All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.» All things work together. I’ve even stated in recent weeks this reality—it’s a good reminder for me; it’s a good reminder for you: all things work together for good.
My favorite restaurant is The French Laundry, glory to God, in Napa Valley, actually, and I remember the first time I went there. I just like things when I can tell the chef, architect, or author how intentional they were in the way they laid things out—in this case, just the way they prepared the food. So I had nine courses, all small, but you end up full! I don’t know; it’s a miracle! I don’t know how it happened. I sat down; Benny and I were there with another couple of friends, and they brought me this course dominated by two things I did not like, immersed in a sauce. The two things were oysters—I know some of you like them, but to me, they remind me of something else: slimy things. Yeah, you’re good—oysters and caviar. I was never a fan.
So they served this, and I looked over at Benny and said, «Honey, I’m paying too much money for this to not at least taste it.» So I took a bite, looked at her, and said, «I want a chili bowl full of this stuff!» How could he take two things I don’t like, mix them together with a bunch of things I do like, and make it, to this day, one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life? The same way our Master Chef takes the bitter, the tasteless, the meaningless—the stuff that’s too spicy, the stuff that’s too sweet, and the stuff that’s too sour—and blends it together into the perfect mix. At the end of your life, you look back and say, «I wouldn’t change a thing.» I wouldn’t change a thing because every single part of my life He took by His grace and worked together to bring Him glory. It’s the most satisfying meal I’ve ever had in my life.
He has promised us, and He has designed life in such a way that there are always discoveries to be made. He is the one who said, «Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.» In other words, the great treasure is in the middle of the greatest loss. You can feed your soul on whatever you want, but you have the opportunity to encounter God in a way that you’ll never experience outside of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. It’s not self-determination; it’s surrender. It’s yielding to the purposes of God; it’s yielding to the Word of God. He is the one who has declared this to be so.
He goes on and says, «He prepares a table before me.» That table is a place to eat. French Laundry—yes, it’s almost time for lunch; I’m just doing you a favor, giving you motivation here. He prepares a table before me. What is that? It’s a place of fellowship, of encounter, of engagement, of personal pleasure, delight, and joy. He sets that table in the presence of my enemies. If all I see are the enemies, I’ve missed the table that He put there.
We all have different stuff going on. Most of you know what my family and I have been facing last month—a tragic loss, without question. But there’s also a table. There is a table—a table of intense fellowship, great delight, personal pleasure, satisfaction, and fulfillment. It’s there, much like the Easter egg that’s been hidden in a bush. I know it’s in there. In our Easter egg hunts, we put small amounts of cash in most of the eggs, but there are a few eggs with a much larger bill in them. One of my grandsons went to his dad before everyone was released to find the eggs and said, «Dad, where is the one with all the money?» Brian—excuse me, my son—was so impressed that his son had the courage to ask that he told him right where it was. So he went over and got it. I don’t know if it was a $20 bill or what was in there, but it was a good egg, you know?
Sometimes, you just ask the one who hid it. It’s a funny story, and there’s more, but we’ll leave that right where it is. Just think with me for a moment: he wouldn’t have asked if he hadn’t thought there was a possibility of being rewarded for asking. There’s something about his own father’s nature that he responded to—the inviting nature of exploration, discovery, and personal success. If you’re sitting in the middle of personal loss, maybe a financial crisis or a legal matter—whatever it is, we all have stuff—there’s a table there. He says so. The one who cannot lie, the one who cannot lie, has declared over your life that there’s a table there, and that table will nourish you; it will strengthen you.
Is anyone else glad that He made food good? Yes? Except for cilantro; in my opinion, God sees people eating cilantro, and He says it was a decoration. I just offended three-quarters of the room, but some of you are with me. Come on, be bold; put your hands up! All right, what are they eating? Bad for me, I was a decoration. The table that He set is not just for your strength; it’s for your pleasure.