You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. I have often encouraged others as they read the Psalms and its many references to the enemies of the psalmist, to think of the enemies that pursue them in their own lives. The consequences of wrong choices. The unyielding burden of grief. Broken or strained relationships. Unmet expectations. A health crisis. Financial problems. Emotional wounds that still ooze. The list is endless and the resultant fear, brokenness, disappointment, or raw emptiness is all too real. There are truths though in these familiar verses that bring hope when we would prefer to isolate ourselves from life itself or at least, hide under the proverbial blanket, obliterating for a short season, the things we would rather not face. To confront an enemy, especially one that seems to be winning, seems futile and we weary with the battle. But, in the very presence of our enemies, God is doing the unthinkable. He is preparing a feast for me. Strength for the weary. Hope for the brokenhearted. Fulfillment for the emptiness. Provision and enablement for the impossible. Beauty that will arise from the ashes. Purpose that will supplant the senseless.
As the feast is prepared and served, the Shepherd tends to my wounds. That is the purpose of the oil – to bring healing from the brambles and thorns that have abrasively injured the little lamb. Liberally, the oil is poured out, an anointing that speaks of God’s presence in our lives and His active participation. The biblical Shepherd is seen gathering the little lambs in His arms and carrying them close to His heart. Healing may take time, but it happens in the presence of the Shepherd, and as healing comes, the blessings of even the difficult times of our lives are seen. Gary Smalley calls them “pearls.” Natural pearls are formed when the oyster reacts to an irritant within its shell. We may shrink from the difficulty or want to run from its consequences, but God is shaping the “good” He has for us even in the midst of those things. The one who has found healing in God’s presence recognizes she is the woman she is, not in spite of life’s hardships, but because of them.
As we recognize the blessings, we will realize the unfailing love and goodness of our God. We may not have acknowledged His pursuit of us and the gifts of His love and goodness while we trudged a rugged pathway, stalked by our enemies, but as we grow to move forward one day at a time, our hearts and our eyes are opened to see what they may not have seen before. He never left us. He never stopped loving. Our yesterdays, our todays, and our tomorrows, are wrapped in His goodness. And the hope of eternity never ceases.
(Related Bible reading: Psalm 23:1-6)
As the feast is prepared and served, the Shepherd tends to my wounds. That is the purpose of the oil – to bring healing from the brambles and thorns that have abrasively injured the little lamb. Liberally, the oil is poured out, an anointing that speaks of God’s presence in our lives and His active participation. The biblical Shepherd is seen gathering the little lambs in His arms and carrying them close to His heart. Healing may take time, but it happens in the presence of the Shepherd, and as healing comes, the blessings of even the difficult times of our lives are seen. Gary Smalley calls them “pearls.” Natural pearls are formed when the oyster reacts to an irritant within its shell. We may shrink from the difficulty or want to run from its consequences, but God is shaping the “good” He has for us even in the midst of those things. The one who has found healing in God’s presence recognizes she is the woman she is, not in spite of life’s hardships, but because of them.
As we recognize the blessings, we will realize the unfailing love and goodness of our God. We may not have acknowledged His pursuit of us and the gifts of His love and goodness while we trudged a rugged pathway, stalked by our enemies, but as we grow to move forward one day at a time, our hearts and our eyes are opened to see what they may not have seen before. He never left us. He never stopped loving. Our yesterdays, our todays, and our tomorrows, are wrapped in His goodness. And the hope of eternity never ceases.
(Related Bible reading: Psalm 23:1-6)
