Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Joy in Trouble

Psalm 23v4 “You prepare a table before me in the midst of my enemies.”

Imagine you’ve had a bad day, but you walk into a room, and find a table laid with an abundance of your favourite and healthy food especially for you. How would you feel?

For a sheep in the Middle East, the greatest threats were the wolf and the bear or the cliff drop. So far, this Psalm has spoken of protection in trouble, but not the eradication of it. Now, this verse goes further as it speaks of God’s incredible provision right in the middle of that trouble.

What are your greatest troubles at the moment? What are the enemies that are threatening to keep you from “the fulness of life” Jesus promised? Right in the midst of it all, our Great Shepherd has prepared a table for us. And God is not a stingy God!

Here seems to be our problem though: our eyes are so inclined to focus on the enemies around that we are enslaved by fear. And even when we see the food, we do not reach out and take it. The Psalmist does not say that God puts good food in our mouths, but that God lays a table and we have to actually eat. It reminds me of another Psalm “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34v8)

What are you going to feed on today? Fill your heart and mind with the good things of God!

With love and blessing,

Roland