You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:5-6.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and the next day is Christmas. Colored lights hang on houses. Trees are decorated. Presents are wrapped. In my house, a lighted garland adorns the fireplace. Candles in the shades of red, green, and cream are set out. The next step in my preparations for the holiday is to set the table.
Our household of four celebrates the holiday on Christmas Eve with the opening of gifts, attending a church service (which will be on-line this year), and enjoying a feast. This means I must get busy giving attention to the food we will eat and also to the appearance of the table.
My Christmas table includes a set of china, goblets, cloth napkins, and a matching tablecloth. Candles and greenery form our centerpiece. Delicious smells of glazed ham and baked rolls complete the atmosphere. Visible from the living room is the Christmas tree with its glowing lights and sparkling ornaments. The family gathers to eat, to fellowship, and to celebrate.
I paint this picture with details from the De Bruin Christmas gathering to give us a glimpse into the gift God gives to us. Verse 5 of Psalm 23 tells us that he prepares a table for us. This imagery helps us understand God as our host. He plans ahead for our nourishment. He pays attention to details that will ensure our comfort. He fills us with good things so that we can taste and see that he is good.
Rest is found at God’s table. Satisfying communion with the Father and the Son happens around his table. Celebration of his character and his good gifts is the occasion that invites us to the table.
When we’ve settled in with God as our host and received what he wants to give us, the conflicts and hostilities of this life start to fade. Verse 5 tells us that this glorious table is set for us in the presence of our enemies.
God doesn’t wait for strife to cease or for conflicts to end before he prepares a table for us. Instead, he beckons us to come sit down with him while tensions and fights are still going on.
I find great comfort in this truth about God because, if your life happens to be like mine, the conflicts don’t ease up so that we can take a break for a day or two to have a happy celebration. Rather, they are still there in their attempts to distract or deceive, exhaust and defeat.
But God is there too. He restores, nourishes, strengthens, and tells the truth. Even while battles rage.
Are you facing down any enemies this Christmas? Are sickness or debt, depression or loneliness threatening to crowd in and rob you of a celebration? Maybe in those places of greatest fear or conflict, God is wanting to prepare a table for you.
Look for him. Expect him. Let him serve you as a waiter looks after the needs of guests. He might have some sort of mercy meant just for you hidden in his ministrations.
David certainly felt this way. While he sat at the table, God anointed him. The cup he’d been drinking from never went dry. Instead, it overflowed with joy and contentment. He is convinced that because of what he experienced at God’s table, goodness and mercy would follow him all the days of his life. This banquet laid out for him on the battlefield was a foretaste of the reality that awaited him. He will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Feasting and celebration and joy are the events of heaven. They never end. When we arrive there, we will get to participate in it. Forever.
Jesus came as a child in a manger, heralded by angels and worshiped by shepherds so that we might receive the promises of Psalm 23:5 and 6. They are ours starting today. The Christmas holiday draws us in. It is a starting point to leave behind the strain and the bondage of darkness, and to choose the lighted path of trust and rest. God is preparing a table for you in the presence of your enemies.
