God's abundant table

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." - Psalm 23:5

We have reached the penultimate verse of this wonderful Psalm. This verse, I have struggled with, because of the thoughts and feelings that have come to the forefront of my mind when I recall 'my enemies.'

Think for a moment of those people in our lives, past or present, who have harmed us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

How does that make you feel?

Perhaps time has passed, yet thinking and reflecting on those times, the memories rise from the depths, and you relive the pain, the cruel words, the lies, the gossip, the rejection, the insecurity, the fear, the anxiety, the sadness and the low self esteem, the list goes on! These feelings and emotions continue to harm and weaken us, and shape how we live our lives today.

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."

Our Heavenly Father is not influenced by our enemies! He is not scared of them, they have no power over Him. Instead, He silences our enemies by showing them how important we are to Him; how protected, loved and favoured we are!

Look around that table, what do you see?

I see an abundant table: of the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us, silencing those voices, those feelings, those fears, that pain. I see His favour, His provision, His protection, His abundance, that He so willingly and lovingly shares with us.

God knows us and loves us more deeply than we can ever fathom. He restores us, refreshes and provides for us in abundance. So instead of focusing on those negative thoughts and feelings caused by 'our enemies', focus on Him! He blesses us beyond our wildest imagination or expectations. He wants to lavish us with goodness, grace and love beyond anything we can comprehend.

We can sit at His table in peace among our enemies, because He is protecting us. We don't have to worry about our enemies, because we serve a God who is bigger and stronger and who is looking out for us.

David's assertion " You prepare a table before me" is equivalent to the apostle Paul's declaration in Philippians 4:19:

 "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus."

Let's move on now to "You anoint my head with oil"...

A common practice in the ancient world by hosts, was to welcome guests into their home by pouring oil on their head. Oil was refreshing and soothing for the weary traveller. It was also common for shepherds to put oil on their sheep, to protect them from bugs and sooth their skin. Our God is a gracious and thoughtful host. He feeds us and anoints us with oil, He heals our wounds and provides us rest.

"My cup overflows"...

This final image of this verse, shows us that God doesn't just give us what we need, He gives us much more! Our cup overflows with His blessings, because He loves us.

So let's place our trust and hope in Him in all areas of our lives. He has never promised us that life would be easy, but despite difficult times, He will provide and be with us; we can trust Him in the midst of our storms. He will not abandon us and He will protect us.

David speaks about his head anointed and his cup overflowing, he spoke of what might be the equivalent to the apostle Paul's statement in Romans 8:31-39:

 "If God is for us, who can be against us? ....... Who will bring any charge against those who God has chosen? ....

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?....."

As Christians we enjoy an intimate relationship with our LORD, He has invited us to be honoured guests in His eternal home with a permanent place at His banquet table. (Revelation 19:9, 21:2-4)

Like David, we can say:

"You anoint my head with oil" because Jesus fills us with joy overflowing and His joy is the strength of our lives. (John 15:11)

God is our gracious and bountiful benefactor for both our bodies and soul, for all time and eternity.

How wonderful is that!