HOPE FOR THE HURTING | John Powell

He has Prepared a Table

You prepare a table before me. (Psalm 23:5)

Jesus makes the precious invitation to each of us, “Come unto me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). If we let Him, Jesus will lighten our loads. We don’t have to do anything, for His work is complete. If we will just quit trying to handle the situation ourselves and turn it over to Him, we will find rest.

Other than John 3:16, there is probably no scripture in the Bible more loved and quoted than Psalm 23. It’s been recited by dying men in their last moments on the battlefied, scribbled on the walls of prison cells, and framed and hung in hospital hallways. It’s words are precious to millions of people, even to those who do not claim to be religious.

Buried within its lines we find a precious nugget of truth.

You prepare a table before me.

This verse might not seem so special at first glance, unless you know a little about the life of a shepherd in biblical times. Judea is a semi-arid region with rocky desert-like terrain. Any patch of green pasture found along the countryside would have been the work of a shepherd. The shepherd would cultivate the hard soil, tear out the thorny underbrush, dig up rocks and remove stumps. Then he would plant seeds and irrigate the land until it became a lush green pasture. He would maintain his field every season, reseeding, removing poisonous plants, filling holes, and removing snakes.

When our Shepherd tells us He has prepared a table before us, He is saying, “I will not lead you somewhere where I have not already been. I will not lead you to a place where I have not already prepared the way.” When Jesus leads us to the table He has prepared, when He makes us lie down in green pastures, He is saying, “Come and enjoy my finished work. There is nothing you need to do. Just come and rest.”

Come! You who are weary! Come! You who hunger and thirst! Come! You who are burdened with the cares of life! Come to the table. Lie in the cool green grass. Dip your feet in the still waters. And find rest for your souls.

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