You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
(Psalms 23:5 NIV)
I heard a preacher say sometimes we pray for the wrong thing. Sometimes we pray for the removal of our enemies, but God won’t remove them because He intends to bless you in front of them. While I can agree to that, I think we can easily become sidetracked at the point of this verse or at least, I wish to present this verse to you a tad bit differently.
If you are waiting for God to prepare a table for you, I see no problem in that. I’m right there with you. But if you are anxiously waiting for God to prepare your table just so that you can boast in front of your enemies, your heart is in the wrong place.
Think about it. Do you really think God wants to bless you just to make your enemies mad? If that were the case, the blessing would be about your enemy, wouldn’t it? The table would be about show boasting in front of your opposers. Is your table only prepared to make your enemies envious?
Does God bless us in front of Satan’s face just to upset him? I beg the differ. I think sometimes this verse is taken out of context to stroke our ego. We can easily misunderstand what’s being said. God isn’t promising to prepare a table for you in the presence of your enemies so that you can strut in front of your enemies.
Because aren’t we called to be humble? Isn’t show boasting the opposite of showing humility? Furthermore, might I add, that even if you have a disdain for your enemy, God doesn’t love you anymore than He loves them…
Now, will those enemies be upset about your table? More than likely. Will they scoff and roll their eyes at how God has blessed you? I am sure. But that’s not the point. The table isn’t about your ego or upsetting your enemy.
The table is prepared to show you that God can bless you despite your enemies. The table is created in the enemies’ presence to prove that God can bless you even when others may want to curse you. In fact, the table is meant to illustrate just how unimportant the enemy is when God decides to bless you. The table is meant to illustrate the power of God. The table is meant to illustrate the graciousness of God. The table is meant to illustrate God’s love.
So, before you sit at the table in the presence of your enemies, mind your ego. It’s not about you. Realize it’s not about your enemy either because they are irrelevant. It’s about God. It’s about His never-ending ability to bless us despite our circumstances.
It’s about realizing that when God has decided He will bless, He will bless! And no enemy can stop it. I’ll wrap it up here you guys but in Numbers 23, Balak wanted God to curse his enemies. But God delivered a message through Balaam and said the following:
Then he spoke his message:
“Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor. God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
(Numbers 23: 18 – 20 NIV)
There was a command, a promise, to bless the people that Balak wanted to curse. He even petitioned God to curse them. But God had purposed to bless them. God didn’t bless the people to upset Balak or so the people could throw their blessing in Balak’s face. God blessed the people because He said He would. You will be blessed if God says you will be and that’s just that!
So, yes. God prepares a table in the presence of our enemies but watch your ego and bear in mind that the table’s presence only proves that the enemy’s presence is irrelevant. I’m done guys, have an amazing week! Lord’s will, I’ll see you next Wednesday.
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