The Word
"You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing (Psalm 23:5, MSG)."
Talk it Out
After a hike through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, an overflowing cup and a food-filled table sounds divine. Upon closer inspection, it's actually a bit uncomfortable. "Right in front of my enemies?" Isn't that boastful? I'm all about a nourishing feast, but right in front of my enemies?
I'm not a seminarian, but I know enough to know that to be anointed with oil is not a distasteful showy display of abundance but rather a reverent, holy matter. I think of David the day he was chosen as King, or Jesus just days before his death and burial. Oil in these stories signifies a blessing, holiness.
If I know anything, it would have been impossible for David's enemies to not notice the revival of David's drooping head. On his hike through Death Valley, they were often chasing him. They often mocked him as he sat asking, "God, where are you?"
A revival of any kind would have been noticeable.
A glistening sign of God's blessing on David's life.
Walk it Out
God hikes with us through the Valley, and he nourishes us when we make it out. How does knowing this encourage you today?