The Table Of The Lord

Text: Psalm 23:5

“You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.”

David in Psalm 23 wrote about the Lord as our Shepherd. One of the roles of our Shepherd which Psalm 23 highlights is that our Shepherd prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies.

The first thing David points out to us about this table is that preparation has gone into it. When we talk about preparation it means:

Something that is not done causally or haphazardly. The table of the Lord is not something that is set casually or haphazardly; it is not something that is done without any plan in mind. God takes time to plan what will be on the table, where the table will be, who will eat on the table, who will see the table. The word preparation implies that thought, time and effort has gone into doing that thing or getting that thing ready. Whenever God wants to lay or set a table, He puts a lot of thought, time and effort into it. In Exodus 25:23-30, when a tabernacle was being built for the Lord, we see the time and effort that went into getting ready a table they would use to lay the bread to be placed in the holy place. If God takes time to prepare a table for us, we shouldn’t approach the table of the Lord in a casual, haphazard manner seeing it as just one of those things the church adds to its calendar or order of service to increase the number of activities of the church for the day or month. The preparation calls for appreciation. Let’s bring this point home with this example. Imagine you invite a family to your place for dinner. You do everything to ensure they have a wonderful time at your place. You go shopping to get what they will eat, buy some new table cloth, flower vase, flowers and other accessions to get your dining table ready. You go through all the works to have a nice and memorable evening, but after all your efforts, your invited guests call 5 minutes to the time you expect them to arrive saying that they are sorry but they have another engagement and so can’t make it to your place. How would you feel? You certainly would feel bad for the time, money and effort that went into this dinner yet it couldn’t take place. Now think of a dinner you have been invited to, a dinner that has been prepared for you that you can’t put a price tag to how much has been spent to get the table ready. The table of the Lord is symbolic of the blood and body of our Lord Jesus Christ something you can’t value, something you can’t put a price tag to (Psalm 49:7-8, Mark 10:45). God has taken time to prepare not just any meal, not the regular meals we have, but an invaluable meal. You can’t put a price to what Jesus did to redeem us and free us from sin, the devil, the curse of the law and the clutches of hell. So it isn’t right for us to treat lightly or with disrespect the effort that has gone into preparing this table. THE PREPARATION CALLS FOR APPRECIATION. We should appreciate God for taking time to prepare a meal for us that none of us, not even the richest or wealthiest of men can afford. All our life savings, all the money in our account can’t pay for this meal. No bank can give us a loan to pay for this meal.

Preparation ensures that all details are taken into account and nothing is forgotten – The reason why people take time to plan and prepare for programs and events is so that during the period of planning and preparation, all the nitty-gritty details are taken care of. When you don’t take time to prepare, there’s a tendency that you can forget or overlook some things. But have you realised that even with the best and most professional event planner, caterer, planning chart or software, something can be overlooked or forgotten. I’m sure you have witnessed weddings where they forgot the ring or wedding veil. When you and I or a caterer or event planner prepares a table, we may forget to put certain things on the table. But when God prepares a table, nothing is forgotten, nothing is left out, everything you need is on that table. When God prepares a table, you can be assured that He has taken note of all the details of your life even down the minutest detail and He has put everything you need on the table, nothing has been forgotten. God is not like a caterer that can forget to bring the cutlery or table cloth to an event, or bring the rice and forget the stew or sauce. So God’s invitation to come to the table He has prepared for you is God telling you that I have not forgotten you. Do you feel like God has forgotten you? He wants to use this meal to remind and assure you that He hasn’t forgotten you. He has not forgotten that need of yours. Isaiah 49:14-16 tells us God can’t forget us because we are inscribed on the palms of His hand. The only way God can forget us is if His hands are cut off and we know that can never happen. God didn’t forget Noah in the ark when there was a terrible flood around him (Genesis 8:1). There may be a terrible flood around you. It may look like the flood is going to drown your marriage, business, career, ministry or spiritual life, but I tell you that in spite of the flood, God has not forgotten. God didn’t forget Noah, God won’t forget you. God didn’t forget Hannah when her rival was mocking her, when she was asking her where is the evidence of the God you always pray to (1 Samuel 1: 5-8)? Your close family members and friends may be mocking you today, people may not see anything in your life to show for all the time you spend in church, praying or attending church services. In spite of the negative labels people have given you, in spite of how people look down on you, God has not forgotten you. God didn’t forget Hannah, God won’t forget you. God didn’t forget Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they threw them into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3), God didn’t forget Daniel when they threw him into the den of lions (Daniel 6), God will not forget you. God didn’t forget the Israelites in the wilderness when they had no water to drink and no food to eat. You may not have money to do the things you want, you may be wondering where am I going to get money for the next meal, the next house rent, the next school fees, or where will I get money to pay my staff. In spite of the lack you presently see, God has not forgotten you. God did not forget Jesus when he was nailed to the cross and cried MY God, My God, why have you forsaken me (Matthew 27:46). God didn’t forget Jesus on the cross, God didn’t forget Jesus in the grave, God won’t forget you. After the cross and the grave came the GLORY. God has not forgotten you. You may be going through your own cross and grave situation right now, but after it all, there will be glory. GLORY is coming your way. THE LORD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOU.