Psalm 23:5 says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
Have you ever been invited to a banquet or a wedding reception where they pulled out all the stops? Tables lavishly decorated, food fit for royalty, centerpieces, place settings, and so many forks you don’t even know where to start. If done correctly it is a fun and engaging experience. This is the table that God is trying to invite us all to enjoy. He has provided for all our needs; we have all we could ever want.
However, we can be hesitant to participate at such a table. We can feel undeserving, or worse we could feel the presence of our enemies. It’s hard to eat and enjoy your food when you feel stressed out or surrounded. Soldiers on a battlefield don’t get to call a time out because someone set the table and rang the dinner bell. Any meal they eat is scarfed down quickly because they never know when they will be needed to defend the line.
Unfortunately, a lot of people live their whole lives eating in survival mode. We need to learn how to trust that God will take care of us and eat. The troubles of the world and your enemies will still be there when you’ve been fed, but you’ll be able to face them with more strength and assurance that you are on the right path.
The good Shepherd wants to provide us with so much that our cups overflow with the grace and love that he has given us. And as it overflows we can turn some of those enemies we once feared into brothers and sisters that we can love.
This verse points us to the refreshment that God wants to provide for us if we would only look towards the Shepherd and trust him.