You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5
How would you respond to an RSVP to sit at the table of your Heavenly Father? My first thought was “You must have the wrong person! There’s no way I would get thatinvitation.” Generally, when we share a meal at a table with others, it usually is because we want to be together, to share company, to share life. The Holy God who created the universe wants you and me to sit at His table. In fact, He doesn’t just want us to sit with Him, He prepares it for us, a job usually reserved for servants.
In Bible times, Kings would invite important and favored people to his banquet table. Sometimes the banquets would be held outdoors so everyone could see who was invited to the party. Everyone knew who the king favored – and who he did not. You and I are invited, highly favored, anointed, and chosen, by the King of Kings. He has invited us to sit with Him, dwell with Him, and feast on His banquet of grace, mercy, forgiveness and love. The difference between God and the ancient Hebrew kings? There is no one that is not invited to His banquet table.
In the Presence of My EnemiesWho are your enemies? So often those we think of as our enemies are not really the enemy at all – our spouse, co-workers, etc… The real enemy is not the one you can see. Satan is the enemy of our souls and he seeks to destroy our place at the banquet table God has prepared for us. How can he do that? By stealing our peace, filling our head with lies about our worth, killing our hope, trying to destroy the unity in our families, workplaces, schools and churches. He seeks to deceive us into thinking that the blessings in our lives are the enemies. He will do anything he can do to distract us from the goodness of our Heavenly Father and all He has for us.
Our Father King identifies Himself with us. Our pain is His pain. Our joy is His joy. Our struggles are His struggles. I love nothing more than sharing a meal with my children and God feels the same way about us. He wants us to pull up a chair and share our heart with Him as we feast on His grace. He anoints us with His spirit. He saturates us with His living water and our cups overflow. There is never an empty cup at the king’s table, only overflowing abundance that we can spread to others. Do you need to come to the table today? Do you need to come and soak up the sustenance of your Heavenly Father? Only when we accept His invitation to the table can we truly be renewed, filled, and ready to give it away to others.
Scripture to Claim:
…and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:24
