The Lord’s Table

I am reminded this morning of growing up with my Grandma and eating meals at her table. There were certain behaviors that were acceptable, and expected. Most importantly, I remember that her table was a place of privilege.

Even at a very young age, I understood that I had a “place” there. No matter how many others were present at the time, my “place” was never filled by anyone else. It was “reserved” just for me, and that reservation was never in question of being cancelled. It did not matter if it was day or night, sunshine or clouds, a season of harvest or famine. I knew I belonged there, because I was loved and accepted by my Grandma.


So it is with the Lord’s Table. No matter how young or old, how rich or poor, how successful or lacking we are, we all have a “place” reserved just for us. It is a place that cannot be filled by any other. This place is ours, and that never changes. Whether we choose to accept this place or not is up to us, our decision does not determine its availability.



In Psalm 23:5, David speaks of the Lord “preparing a table” before him in the presence of his enemies. So it was for him, and so it is with us. One thing that I was always sure of was that my Grandma was always for me, she was never against me. She was always on my side. No person or circumstance could ever sway her from that position. When everything else in my life seemed to be going wrong, I could always come to my Grandma’s table and find not only nourishment for my body, but encouragement for my spirit, as well.

You see, she had “prepared” beforehand. Actually, I believe that she lives in a state of “preparedness.” Every day she reads God’s Word, and she prays. She brings her heart and her petitions for her family before the Lord. She gives Him her concerns, and He gives her His peace, and wisdom. She knows His voice, because she has taken the time to become closely acquainted with Him throughout the many years and challenges of her life.



So it is with the Lord, also. He has “prepared” a place for each one of us. Although the enemy of our souls would come only to kill, steal and destroy us, our Lord came that we might not only have life, but life in abundance, till it overflows (John 10:10). What an amazing truth this is. Even before we understood our need to be reconciled with His Father, Jesus was making a way for us. He was “setting the table” so to speak. He was waiting for us to come. He still is.

Whether I came as a child or as a full grown woman with children of my own, and now even three precious grandchildren, my Grandma’s welcome has never ceased. Her warm smile and loving embrace are always there to greet me. It is something that I have learned to depend on. Her love and faith have helped me throughout the many changing seasons of my life. She has remained constant in her love, and true in her devotion to the Lord. She is someone that I not only admire, but that I deeply respect. Because of her, I have learned how to “set” my own table, and to “prepare” for those that the Lord would bring me.



I am thankful for the loving example of my Grandmother, and for the amazing devotion of her Lord and Savior. How loved we are, that we can call Him our own. How precious it is that He would sit and dine with us, in a place the He had prepared for us, and then teach us to do the same… for others.



Written by Beverley A. Napier