You prepare a banquet for me, where all my enemies can see me; you welcome me as an honored guest and fill my cup to the brim.
Psalm 23:5 GNBUK
If there is one thing I wish I didn’t have to do, it would be cooking. If I could hire any one of my responsibilities out, cooking would be the first to go.
Herein lies a problem, because I also love to eat. I love good food! I love when food is artfully presented.
If you wanted to bless me, drop a meal off. I will feel so loved and cared for. Or gift me with some cash for an iced latte or a café meal somewhere. This fills my cup full and running over.
The times when someone has blest me by dropping a meal off, I wear a smile all day long. Just knowing that dinner is coming tonight and I don’t have to do a thing about it except enjoy it when it arrives – it is the best thing ever.
This verse tucked in the middle of Psalm 23 speaks deeply to me.
The Shepherd prepares a banquet.
For me!
He invites me to sit, to breathe deeply. To inhale the mouth-watering aromas and appreciate the artfully displayed food. I imagine there is colorful, perfect fruit, a charcuterie board, fresh, hot bread, a gorgeous salad and a full main course spread on this table. Then dessert: a beautiful, decadent dessert. It is a banquet – not a snack and certainly not fast food. This table is set with a nourishing and deeply satisfying meal.
The Shepherd invites me to sit and eat while my enemies are circling this table looking on. Don’t forget that. The enemies are also present. It is an intimate scene, this table set for two, but it is in the presence of my enemies.
What a beautiful picture: no matter what we are facing, what enemies are prowling and lurking around, Jesus invites us to sit at a banquet with him. To rest, to be filled and nourished. To be satisfied. This is what the Shepherd invites us to.
The fears, the troubling circumstances, the unanswered questions, the struggle is still real. Jesus doesn’t whisk it all away; he invites us to share a banquet with him in spite of whatever we find ourselves facing.
This is our Shepherd, Jesus.
His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. Come pull up a chair, rest, and be filled.
Don’t be a ‘grab-n-go’ guest, the kind who run in, grab a croissant and shout “Hey thanks so much, you’re awesome but I gotta keep going!”
Take the time to sit in his presence and be nourished. Allow your spirit to rest. A banquet is no rushed affair.
Again, this is our Shepherd, Jesus.
His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. Come pull up a chair, rest, and be nourished.