Banquet Tables

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5 (ESV)

Imagine sitting at a banquet table where every part of the table is filled with bounty, with blessings. You can hardly see the table for all that is displayed before you. Imagine just as you start to dig into the array of goodness, an enemy comes to sit across from you. He/She doesn’t do anything. They just sit there.

God says “Look, I’ve prepared this just for you. Dig in.” You want to dig into the bounty but you can’t. You are so fixated on what is sitting across from you at the table, you don’t lift a finger to begin enjoying your feast. Instead, you stay riveted on the distraction that occupies your focus and you do not enjoy the gift you have been given.

It’s interesting that Psalm 23:5 says God prepares a banquet for us in the presence of our enemies. We talked about this in our Bible Study group.  A couple questions were asked. If there was a banquet table in front of you, what would be on it? And, What enemy/distraction is sitting in front of you that is preventing you from enjoying God’s provision? How would you answer those questions?

So often I find myself looking at what is causing my anxiety instead of the Person who is overflowing my cup. God’s table is always full. Even in the middle of hard things in life, there are blessings to be had. I know they might be subtle but they are there. Things like the smile of a child or the simple prayer of someone you love. Or the almost imperceptible way that God is moving in people‘s hearts.

I know there are people who are suffering. I know they look at the table before them and really can’t see any blessings. They are hurting. I bet you know folks like this too. If that is the case, maybe you can be the blessing that shows up on their table. Maybe you can reach out and show them love in a way that will change their perception of life. You can show them Jesus.

As we head into Thanksgiving, remember to count your blessings. More importantly, remember to be the reason someone is thankful.

A Minute In It - Many Blessings

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post.

1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

4 Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

5 You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

6 Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.  Psalm 23 (MSG)

Sometimes we need to take a moment and count our blessings. In this wonderful Chapter, there are things that God blesses us with. Read through the text and thank God for the blessings he provides for you.  

I Didn't Think Of That!

For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. Deuteronomy 8:4 (NLT)

We were faced with a huge challenge. Things weren't going so well in my business and we were at the point where I would no longer get paid. To be honest, I was in full panic mode. I had a knot in my stomach; I was barely able to hold it together in front of other people.  Every prayer consisted of "We need your help." I wasn't sure what to do. I felt like my only option was to close the business and get another job.

One morning I woke up about three days in with the Bible text in my head "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)  Now, I don't normally wake up with a Bible texts in my head so I kept repeating that text over and over and I kept praying.

To tell you the entire journey would take a long time because it lasted for a year and a half. All that time he said "Wait. Don't do anything, just wait." And do you know what? All that time God provided. All that time we had the money we needed to help pay the bills even though I wasn't getting paid.  And the money came in from so many different avenues you just knew it was God. 

When I read this text about the Israelites clothes not wearing out for forty years, I paused.  In the past I would not even have noticed it but now I read it and think, "Yeah, that's God." When he provides he finds ways to meet your needs that you wouldn't even have thought of. Who would have thought he would keep clothes from wearing out for forty years? Who would have thought he kept their feet healthy as they walked through the dry desert? 

God is providing all the time. Whether it be funds when there are none, gifts to ease the financial strain, a comforting word from a friend, keeping our bodies functioning so we can do what he wants us to do or a text from the Bible at just the right time to keep us going....those (and so many other blessings) are all God.

Thank God he doesn't work based on our limitations. We see a problem and believe that there is no way around it. God sees a problem and sees a million ways to solve it.  That is the God we serve! 

What Makes You Blessed?

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:3 (NLT)

Thank you. I am blessed.

How many times have you heard that? And maybe we are blessed but, somehow I don't think God's definition of blessed is the same as ours.

When someone says "I like your ____________(fill in the blank)." and we reply "Thank you, I am blessed.", is that really what God meant when he said "Blessed are ..........?

God says we are blessed when we are poor in spirit (broken) not when we have stuff. God says we are blessed when we realize all this stuff doesn't matter. We are blessed when we know that without him we are nothing.

So let me ask you. Why is it you think you are blessed? And more importantly, are you willing to be broken to be blessed God's way?