“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Isaiah 55:1

On this Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful for one of God’s gifts to me. I am able to write again. The last months have been a long, frustrating season because of a chronic health problem I’ve been struggling with. Physically, I’ve often been too tired to do much more than what is necessary and concentrating, let alone writing anything of “good value”, was simply too difficult. At another time, I might share what the Lord has taught me through this trial, but today I am simply happy to pick up my pen (computer style) and go forward.

Today families and friends gather at the table to share a Thanksgiving meal. If your house is like mine, there are too many dishes to even fit on the table because everyone wants his or her own favorite traditional casserole or potato side. The piece de resistance, a perfectly roasted turkey, never even makes it to the table until it is deboned, sliced, and carved up. After dinner, after eating ourselves into an uncomfortable bloat, we might relax a bit until the next stage of the meal – the desserts – and find there is still enough room to taste a little from all four pies! Does this sound familiar?

Somewhere in all of this feasting, we remember why we’ve gathered: to thank God for all of His blessings. How can we not be grateful seated around the groaning table prepared before us? We remember our nation’s Pilgrim ancestors, why they came to America and their near starvation but for the generosity of native peoples who helped them through the first hard winters. We remember to also thank the hands that make possible the meal, from the planting of the field to the harvesting and processing of food now spread out on the table like a cornucopia. Today we consciously remember that we are a blessed people and gather in thanksgiving.

Today I think of another table which David describes in Psalm 23, verse 4:
You have prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

How often have I heard the Twenty-third Psalm without really listening or understanding? In this beautiful psalm about the Shepherd and the sheep, it is the LORD who prepares the table. Imagine for a moment what a table that must be! What does God, the Almighty and Holy Creator, offer us upon this table? Is it set with silver and crystal, with precious china and costly linen? What abundance of riches does God prepare for His servant David on this mountain top feast? For you and for me?
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1. Corinthians 2:9

The table of which I speak is the Table of Redemption, one’s acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior through which comes the invitation for healing, restoration and peace with God.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

It is the Table of Victory over death and the grave won by the Lord Jesus.
. …When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? 1. Corinthians 15:55.

It is the Table of Promise and Provision as God remind us of all that He has done and all that He will do.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10

It is the Table of Intimacy, a table prepared for just one person, you, the sheep of God’s pasture. The invitation from the Lord of Hosts is personal and individual. The setting is private and intimate wherein God decrees that your enemy, the devil, must watch from the other side, forever denied and forever vanquished.

It is the Table of Presence. God wants your undivided attention so He can bring His full Presence to the table for you.

It is the Table of the New and everlasting Covenant, prophesied in the Old Testament by David and renewed by Jesus at the Last Supper.
And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Mark 14:24.

It is the Table of Thanksgiving. I am happy to sit with my family today as we enjoy the meal which we prepared together, to say grace and remember our blessings. But I long to run to this other table with all my heart. The invitation is for everyone. If you are a sheep, you qualify. Allow God to prepare a table for two, just you and He together. Come just as you are; stay as long as you like, the Lord’s in no hurry. Come back as often as you want. Speak with Him intimately. Open your heart to His love and goodness. Raise the cup of salvation and be thankful. Receive everything beautiful He has prepared just for you.