an invitation

David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”
Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
“Where is he?” the king asked.
Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“At your service,” he replied.
“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet. 
2 Samuel 9

I love the story of King David and Mephibosheth!  What a message of grace and mercy...of hope...of acceptance.  Considering who he was (or rather, whose he was), Mephibosheth was "lucky" to be alive still when King David inquired of Saul's family.  He had no stature...he had nothing to offer the King...he was more work than help.
Yet...
King David sought him out. 
King David looked upon him with kindness. 
King David gave him an inheritance.
King David treated him as his son.
King David invited him to his table.

The King of Glory did the same for me. 

God sought me out...
"Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'" Luke 19:9-10
God looked upon me with kindness...
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."  Titus 3:3-7
God gave me an inheritance...
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  John 3:16
God calls me His child...
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."  1 John 3:1-2
God sets me a place at His table...
"'Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.'"  John 14:1-3
"'My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.'"  John 10:27-28

He does it for all of us.

All we have to do is believe Jesus is God's Son...our Savior.
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."  1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Ever felt as if the kids' table was your lifelong assigned seat?  Ever had your seat taken?  Does it seem that you've pushed back from the table by your own means or others'?  God is seeking you out and offering you a seat at His table.  It's an invitation to belly up to the feast prepared for you and you will no more hunger or thirst.
Even as a Christian of many years, for a time now, I was feeling pushed back from the table.  Asked to sit and watch...to fast and rest.  Then, just recently, I heard a sermon preached from 2 Samuel 9 and I heard my voice being called.  God showed me my invitation was still open to share His table with Him.  My time of fasting was over and it was time to be filled again.  What joy I feel now as I am revived and ready to serve whenever, wherever He leads. 
Sometimes all it takes is an invitation.