“You Prepared a Table Before Me…”
Psalm 23:5 (NIV)
The Saviour’s Invitation
Can you picture yourself sitting at a table that God has laid before you? This is not an empty table but is a feast of fellowship prepared by God in the presence of your enemies. What do you make of this scenario? When as David describes in Psalm 23 all is pressing around you and you and I find ourselves wandering through yet another valley, why in the midst of your trial or time of spiritual drought and mustiness would God set a table and why a feast? It is no less than the intimate fellowship that is set before us by Christ.
Across ancient and modern cultures alike across the world hospitality and eating together in someone’s home still occupies an almost sacred place. Yet there is something of profound significance and power in eating together in scripture that should not confine our assumption of practising hospitality to simply sharing a meal. It goes beyond this into the very sacred space of intimate, deep fellowship and peace that arises and is symbolised when you break bread together. Thus Jesus invites us in whatever present state we find ourselves in to sit down and eat with him. A table is prepared, and Jesus invites us to it. As he proclaims in Revelation 3:20:
“I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
Revelation 3:20 (ESV)
This does not only apply to the intimate act of taking communion in devout remembrance of divine love come down. His invitation calls you to come and commune with him again in intimate fellowship as the son or daughter of Father God that you who received Jesus are. His knock is timely. His knock on the door of your heart comes at times when you feel so far from him or you have felt that through your persistent imperfections, sin or bad choices, He will no longer accept you or be bothered with you. How untrue and diminishing this view is of our perfect saviour Jesus. On the contrary in the midst of such an hour in our darkest valley, he knocks on the door of your heart as an invitation to allow the one who is gentle and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29) to enter that you may receive nourishment of his grace and truth again and draw near in repentance and rest to him.
At such an hour he lays a table before you in the presence of your enemies of discouragement, failure or trial. The invitation is not conditioned on our own standing and performance as the Lost Sheep and prodigal son stories in Luke Chapter 15 testify. It does however require our consent to him coming in. So the question is will you open the door to Jesus, whatever is going on in your situation or in your heart today? A table is already laid for you, will you come and be seated with Jesus to fellowship with him?
Whether it is on our knees crying out, through renewing our intimacy in our time of devotion with him or just turning to acknowledge Jesus again in our situation, we allow in that moment, room for something wonderful to take place in our hearts. Within that space of intimacy with love itself at the table he has prepared for us, we find our hearts are convicted, we encounter his healing touch and the covering of his righteous robes, and we have a reawakened desire to walk closely by His side. There we bear witness once again to the continued unfailing stream of love that flows from the throne of Grace established by Christ who loves us to the end (Hebrews 4:16; John 13:1).
© Benjamin Trowbridge 2021
Abba's Dearly Beloved 