God's Table

Psalm 23:5~Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies...

Psalm 78:19, 20~Yes, they spoke against God: They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Behold, He struck the rock, so that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed, Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?"

Matthew 15:27~"But even the little dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table..."
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God prepares a table for us in the very presence of our enemies.
 We don't wait until they are gone before we start eating or we'd never eat.

Sometimes, we focus on the face and the intimidation of our enemy instead of focusing on the abundance of His table.

We need to focus on His table.

Why?

Because, there will always be enemies.
There will always be a wilderness.
There will always be others who are more worthy
to eat at the table.

I can be so distracted by the enemies of self-pity, self-doubt, self-depreciation
that I miss the platters of thanksgiving, freedom from fear, and acceptance in the Beloved.

I can be so distracted by a person's posture,
or facial expression, or nasty words,
that I miss the dishes brim full of approval from God.

I miss Him smiling at me at the head of the table.
I miss His words of grace and blessing.

Every day we have a choice.

We can focus on the presence of our enemies in the wilderness of our lives,
or we can focus on His table laden with the Bread of Life
and the Wine of fellowship and cheer.

In this world we will have tribulation
and we can focus on that tribulation
or we can focus on the One who says,
"But be of good cheer.
I have overcome the world."

I am working on ignoring my enemies of remorse and regret.
I am gazing at the table spread for me.

Please pass the dish full of grace and mercy this way.
And would you refill my cup with the wine of joy?

I look at The One who serves me.
I see the scars in His hand.

He smiles at me with eternal love
and stands up and fills my plate and my cup.

I catch His hands and cover my face with them
and weep into His rough gentle flesh.

He wipes my tears and looks at them thoughtfully.
Oh, He's counting them.
He's validating their salty worth.

He sits across from me and watches me eat.
And now it's only His face I see.

I love His smile.

I love the crinkles around His lips.

I love His all-knowing eyes full of humor,
sorrow, understanding, wisdom, kindness,
love, joy...

To sit at a table with One such as this-
to gaze at His beauty
and eat His food...

or to try to make out my enemies in the background
ever hovering in the wilderness;
trying to scare me into bolting from the table
into their darkness...

This is my daily choice.
And I choose Him.
I choose His table spread for me.