Take Your Place

Psalms 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”

 

The table of the Lord is a place of abundance, a place of peace, and a place of communion. David draws this picture from the ancient Near East custom, where covenants were often concluded with a meal expressive of the bond of friendship. The head of the honored guest at the banquet was customarily anointed with oil. The cup running over was a sign of abundance. What an awesome picture of the relationship God wants to have with us!

 

Jesus reinforced this at the Last Supper with His disciples. In Luke 22:15 Jesus says, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you.” (NKJ) In the Message Bible it says, "You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you.” Then just as the honored guest would have his head anointed with oil in David’s day, Jesus in the custom of his day honors his disciples by getting down and washing their feet.

 

Sometimes we fail to understand how much Jesus desires to fellowship and commune with us. We become so busy running here and there, trying to meet our needs and the needs of our family, when He already has a table of provision set for us. We are desperately trying to prove ourselves and to demonstrate our value or worth, when He desires to honor us. We struggle with worry and fear in an uncertain world and struggle with the attacks of the enemy, when He has already set a table for us in the presence of our enemies. We struggle in our own might to serve Him, when he wants to anoint our head with the oil of His Spirit to empower us to do what we cannot do in ourselves.

 

Stop struggling and running and take your place at the Lord’s table. “In His presence is fullness of joy;

at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalms 16:11) The God of the universe “fervently desires” your presence. He has prepared a table for you and for me. He is honored to have us as a guest at his table. Even more than that, He wants to honor us. We are the apple of His eye, His joy and His desire. He wants to give us honor even before our enemies, for we are His treasured possession and he has redeemed us from every tribe, tongue, and nation by the blood of His Son. He wants to fill your cup until it runs over.

 

The one thing our Lord seeks above all else from his servants, ministers, and shepherds is communion with Him. His table is vast and is never lacking. This table is a place of spiritual intimacy and is spread daily with all that we need. David said in Psalms 27:4, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”

 

May you be blessed, encouraged, strengthened, and satisfied in the presence of the Lord today.

Like A Child

Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven in made up of people who are like children. (Matt. 19:14) Also, in Matthew 18:2, Jesus says, only those who are child like will enter the kingdom of heaven. If this child likeness is so important for our salvation. It surely worth while to reflect on it meaning.

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus mentions one of the child like characteristics. It is humility. Some would dispute the fact that a child is humble, but it seems in Jesus day they were. The child of the past may not be the same as the child of today. It is pride that keeps us from coming to Christ and bowing down before him. Pride breeds self-reliance. We think we can do it on our own. A child may become selfish, but he knows that he depends on his father and mother for his food, clothes and everything he needs. He knows that he can't care for himself. A child who tries to be independent will bring all kinds of trouble on himself. He will stumble and fall. He will have to eventually turn to someone for help, even if it is not his father.

Another characteristic of a small child is faith or trust. A child trust his parents fully until proven otherwise. Even when a parent fails the child several times, a young child still tends to believe in them. Often a young child will trust their teachers, friends, and even strangers to their own harm. We can have full faith and trust in God because he never fails us. We can always count on Him. Even when we feel like He has failed us, He has not. We just don't understand what He is doing. God requires full trust.

Another characteristic of a young child is hope and joy. Most young children are very positive. They may have moments of sadness, but rarely despair. These usually are short lived. With this, they are not very big worriers. They don't worry because they know that their parents will care for them. They don't worry, because they are unaware of the challenges and evils that may lie ahead.  Jesus said that we must be as innocent as a dove but as shrewd as a viper. (Matt. 10:16) We are to have the innocence of a child, but the shrewdness of an experienced adult. Yet, we must maintain our hope and joy in the Lord.

Another characteristic of a child is they are dreamers. They are always dreaming about one thing or another. They always have big ideas. They usually have dreams and ideas that are bigger then them. Yet, believe that they will obtain them one day. Even though they may be limited any many ways, this doesn't stop them in believing in the impossible.

Another characteristic of a child is freedom in worship. (Matt. 21:15-16) They have a freedom in self expression. They are often uninhibited. They usually say what they think. Many times they say the first thing that comes to their mind without even thinking about what is coming out of their mouth or the consequences that might follow. Yes, they often get themselves in trouble because of this, but being uninhibited in our worship of God is a good thing.

Along with this characteristic a child is usually passionate about things. They are passionate about what they believe, and are passionate about what they do. They usually don't do things half way, unless of course it is something they don't like or it wasn't their idea. Along with this passion comes high and may emotions, not always good. How often do I see a believer come to church on fire for the Lord, and he becomes a sanctified dead beat.

The Cave

1 Samuel 22:1-2

“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.”

 

It was God’s anointing on David’s life that enabled him to kill the lion and the bear, to kill Goliath, and bring great victory to Israel. It was the anointing that enabled David to play the harp in worship to God to quiet the tormented spirit of Saul and enabled him to become the greatest general in Saul’s army, so that the women of Jerusalem sang, “Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands.” It was that same anointing that protected and sustained David as a refugee in the cave of Adullam.

 

It was in the cave of Adullam that God begin to pull together the men that would make David’s army. David’s mighty men started out as poor, disgruntled refugees, the outcasts of Saul’s kingdom. They went in the cave defeated and came out with the shout of victory because they had joined up with David’s cause and vision. It was in the cave of Adullam that they were trained for war and galvanized together as one to become David’s mighty men who would one day conquer and subdue kingdoms.

 

It was in the cave of Adullam that David wrote the Psalm of praise in 2 Samuel 22.

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation.

He teaches my hands to make war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your gentleness has made me great.”

 

The anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon our lives not only to enable us to worship God in the good times and to bring us victory over circumstances in life, but also the anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon our lives during our time in the cave, when no one sees us, and the enemy surrounds us and seeks to destroy our souls. It is in the cave that we truly discover God to be our rock, our fortress, our shield, and our salvation. It is here that our true character is tested and our hands are trained for war. It is in the cave that our vision is sharpened, and deep, life-long relationships are formed.

 

May you discover today the greatness of our God; may His anointing sustain you and renew your strength and vision for all He has for you.