Daily Devotional – 4/8/13 “My Table!”

Growing up I never understood why God would prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. I mean, who wants to dine with someone who means us harm? Then, as I got older and I read the scripture in Psalm 23:5 that says, “You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings,” I started to get it. See, when my enemies come I had to realize that they only come to make me stronger. Will they try to cause me harm, do me wrong, drag my name through the dirt, judge me when I’m doing right, judge me when I’m doing wrong, criticize me to bring me down, make me feel good just to knock me down, smile in my face just to make me cry later, go with me while I’m going up just to laugh at me when I may fall; yes but that’s their job. However, God prepares for me a table, in their presence that allows me to make it. Yea, when my enemies bring gossip, God passes me His grace. When they try to fill my bowl with mess, God will replace it with His mercy. When they place hate on my plate, He’ll cover it with a helping of His Holy Spirit. When they give me grief, God will give me His glory. When they try to drown His message with misery, God will maintain me with His magnificence. When they try to sprinkle salt on my spirit, God scatters it with His scriptures. When they try to fill my cup with temptations, tests and trials; God trades my thirst for those things with my testimony. When they’re drizzling deceit on my destiny for dessert, God declares my deliverance instead. When they offer complaining instead of coffee, God instead gives me confidence to drink. When they try to leave longsuffering for leftovers, God will leave me His love instead. Oh, when my enemies try to mock my table, God will simply magnify my mind for His ministry. When my enemies threaten to turn over my table, God will turn that trouble into thoughts for my teaching. Even when my enemies try to knock over my table, God will keep kneading me with His knowledge.

Oh, I thank you God for preparing my table and pushing me because you know that I’m able. I thank you God for dining with me because you knew exactly who I’d be. I thank you God for filling my cup with blessings and allowing it to overflow because you knew that I’d need a little more room to grow. I thank you God for never taking your hands off of me because you knew the things I’ll encounter even when I can’t see. I thank you God for being my food when I hungry, water when I’m thirsty, shelter in my storm; thank you God for the table and keeping me safe from harm. Yea, now I get it and I truly understand and I thank you God for being all that I need and for just being that Man. I thank you for the oil that anoints this old head of mine because it allows me to let my light for you shine. I thank you God for letting me stand in the face of fear knowing that you’ll never leave yet you’ll always be near. Thank you God for my table!