You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

-Psalm 23:5 (CSB)

As we continue to explore what it means for the Lord to be our Shepherd, let’s meditate today on the first two lines of verse 5.

You prepare a table before me...I’m a casserole-dish-toting-Baptist, so I’ve always liked the sound of that line, but I hang up a bit on this second part:

• in the presence of my enemies.

Now, I’ll admit, I’m a stress eater by nature. Big exam coming up, looming deadline, waiting for feedback on a piece of writing…bring on the dark chocolate and the fancy coffee drinks and the cookies and the chips…oh, and the ice cream (can’t forget the ice cream!).

But, in the presence of my enemies?

Nope.

At the slightest hint of interpersonal conflict, my stomach twists in knots, and my appetite runs for the hills.

I remarked to a close friend recently that I’d rather have a terrible physical ailment than have a relational issue with another person.

I’m one of those people who’s never met a stranger; my inner circle jokes that I would talk to a brick wall – and they aren’t wrong, I talk to inanimate objects all the time.

I am also by nature, a problem solver, a fixer, if you will.

So, when another person is upset with me, or I believe they might be upset with me, and I’ve done all I can to “fix it”, but they still seem to be upset, the last thing I want to do is sit down at a table to eat.

And yet, Psalm 23 tells us that there is a table prepared before us, by our Shepherd, in the presence of our enemies.

I’ve read commentary and heard sermons on what it means that our Shepherd sets a table before us in the presence of our enemies, but today I’d like to share how I’ve personally experienced Jesus doing this for me.

First, our Shepherd has been faithful to remind me that we really only have one enemy – the devil (to explore this concept more, click here). When interpersonal issues arise, the devil is always at fault, stirring up pride or anger or insecurity… You name it, and if it’ll cause problems, then he’ll try to stir it up in you, in the other person, or both. When I am reminded of this truth, my attention turns from physical matters to spiritual matters and I fight with prayer instead of words. My prayers also become more accurately focused, and instead of asking for things to go my way, I ask God to make the devil flee from both of us and to show us that our issue is with the devil and not each other.

It has been my experience that this recognition of who the enemy really is allows me to either sit down with another person at the table my Shepherd has prepared and open a conversation, or, in a case where the other person still sees me as the enemy, it gives me the peace to know that it’s not really them versus me at all, that it’s God versus the devil picking at us, and God always wins, so God will take care of it, and I will take care to hold onto God instead of holding onto a grudge.

When negative thoughts or feeling arise toward someone, our Shepherd is also faithful to remind me that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23-24) and all means me too. Sometimes my attitude or actions are not Christ-like, and God still extends grace and mercy to me. Therefore, I need to extend grace and mercy to others. Once again, this reminder allows me to sit at the table with someone or to at least continue in my daily rhythms (like eating) in the peace of knowing God will take care of the conflict or issues between us.

Dear heart, when the Lord is your Shepherd, you are able to sit at the table He has prepared in the presence of your enemies because He rightly identifies your enemy, and He has already won the victory over him (1 John 5:4; Revelation 20:10). When the Lord is your Shepherd, He prepares a table for you to sit down and share grace and mercy with others, knowing that He has already given it to you and given you more than enough to share with others.

Truly, it is good to follow the Lord as sheep follow their Shepherd!

Update: Our children’s musical ministry, which I direct, has just fired back up for the Christmas season. As we get rolling, I feel God’s leading to prioritize that work for a few weeks, so I may be writing every couple of days instead of every day. It is my hope and prayer that you understand the shifting focus as I attempt to steward both ministries well and will continue to walk with me through these devotions as I am able to make them available. To ensure you don’t miss anything, please consider signing up for email notifications below (the devotions go straight to your email!).