Think for a moment about those you would consider your enemies. Those who make you uncomfortable and scared. Those you would run from. Now think about any situation in your life where you are experiencing hardship. Job insecurity, financial pains, sickness and disease. Think about the things that trouble you most and bring the most stress to your life.
Now imagine, right in the middle of that stress or within feet of that person, sitting down to a peaceful, perfectly serene dinner. No bill. No overcooked steaks or cold side dishes. No worries. No problems. Just you, wonderful food, and the absolute best company.
Seems odd, doesn’t it? Seems like the most unlikely place to have this experience and the most unlikely experience to have in that sort of place. Yet, this is exactly the promise we recieve from the Word of God in Psalm 23.
The Message puts it this way: ”You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.”
What does that mean? Does that mean you can expect a T-bone dinner the next time you are in a rough situation? Probably not. What you can expect and count on, though, is a God who promises to always be near you and offer limitless peace to you in the midst of any difficulty or suffering. He doesn’t promise you’ll never hurt. He promises you’ll never hurt alone. He doesn’t tell you that suffering will never happen. He speaks peace to the suffering that is inevitable.
We hurt, we suffer, and it won’t be a whole lot of fun all the time. Our hope is not found in escape from life. Our hope is found in holding onto God in the midst of it all.
..:: Robby Payne ::..
