The Table

Finding Comfort and Blessings

Loss and devastation were everywhere after back-to-back hurricanes decimated our beach community. Overwhelmed, my husband and I began the recovery process. We put our water damaged first-floor furniture on the curb for the cleanup crews. I remember the day the truck with the long arm pulled up to my house, and I watched the claw swing around, clutch our furniture, and drop each piece into the dumpster. My heart ached as I watched my beloved dining room table get crushed in half, tossed into the bin, and smashed to pieces.

This emotional toil came after a series of other losses and personal struggles. It was a long emotion filled season. Each of my parents suffered illnesses. My mother had multiple treatments for cancer, and I was her primary care giver. My father battled kidney failure and passed away. I also lost both of my dogs during this season. I remember saying how I felt like I was wandering, like the Israelites, in the desert, and now we have 2 hurricanes in the middle of my desert. But just as God was with the Israelites, he was with me. Leaning on God, I grieved the loss of my dogs and my father. I praised God for the miraculous recovery my mother made. The necessary home repairs went well, and we were blessed to have a contractor that expedited the process. Once all the structural repairs were completed, we began the next step of purchasing new furniture. The first and foremost piece I wanted to purchase was our dining room table. I went to a local shop and began the hunt. I am so pleased; I found the ideal table. It was the perfect size to fit the space and host family and friends for meals and celebrations. All the remaining pieces of furniture were procured and slowly my home was beginning to feel like just that, a home again.

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 23. Verse 5a states, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”. Often, tables are center to gatherings with family and friends. Jesus shared meals with his disciples and followers. At the last supper, Jesus instructed his disciples to remember the bread is his body broken for us, and the cup is his blood shed for us. A church I attended with my husband and daughters for 20 years had a beautiful communion table with the inscription “Do This in Remembrance of Me”. At my current Florida church, we celebrated joyfully as our flood damaged communion table was beautifully restored. Just as we enjoy having family and friends gather around our tables, Jesus longs for us to sit with him.

Let’s consider this scripture again. As I read it, the word prepare brings on a deeper meaning for me. While I am faced with challenges of life, losses, uncertainty, the Lord himself “prepares” a table for me. He prepares this “in the presence of my enemies”. Now, unlike David, we are probably not gripped in a real-life battle for our lives from actual enemies, but we do face fears, trials, and difficult life seasons that can overwhelm us. And you know what?  We are not alone during these times. In-fact, the Lord prepares a table for us. He delights when we come to him for rest and comfort. His table is filled with provision and blessing. Psalm 91:15 states, “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him”.

Psalm 23:5 continues, “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows”. See, even amid our struggles, the Lord has chosen us with a purpose and anointing. The Lord overflows our cup, and we are welcome to linger with the Lord because he so graciously continues to pour out his strength, direction, peace, and blessings.

When we sit at the Lord’s table, we glimpse the heavenly banquet table and the victorious celebration to come. Psalm 23:6 states, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”.

Our present circumstances have no hold on the ever-present Lord, who prepares a table for us with all we need. His table is eternal and with him our cups overflow. Just as the Lord had a new table for me, he has something new for you.

What struggles are on your table?  Can you trust the Lord prepares blessings for you even in the desert and storms of life?

My table getting crushed. Heartbreaking

My new table