The Table in the Wilderness

The Table in the Wilderness

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (Psalm 23:5)

I have read this verse many times without pausing on the location of the table. It is not prepared after the enemies have gone. It is not waiting on the other side of the valley. It is set — right there, in the presence of the difficulty, in the midst of what has not yet resolved.

David is still surrounded when the table appears. The enemies are still present. And yet God lays out a feast.

This is a strange comfort and a real one. The feast of God's provision, peace, and presence is not contingent on the circumstances first becoming easier. It is offered within them. He sits us down and feeds us while the storm is still running at the edges of the room.

I think of the times I have told myself: I will rest when this is over. I will feel peace when the thing has been resolved. I will receive what God is offering when there is less to manage. And in doing so I have left the table untouched — not because it was not set, but because I had decided the timing was wrong.

The table is already set. It is set now, here, in the middle of whatever is pressing. The question is whether we are willing to sit down.

What would it mean to receive God's goodness today, without waiting for your circumstances to improve first?