God’s Goodness and Hope
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalm 23:5-6
More hope! The table that is spoken of here can be a temporal one or the eternal table. Jesus is the bread – our sustenance. Even in the midst of our enemies attacks, we can feast at this table through prayer and praise. While we continue in God’s presence here on earth, Jesus has gone before us to prepare us a bridal table in heaven. Our enemies will look on with envy and regret when we sit at the great wedding feast being prepared for us.
The anointing of the head with oil symbolizes one set apart. As a believer in Jesus and a child of God, you have been set apart with a specific purpose with a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). We are a holy nation. “Holy” also means set apart. In the Old Testament, anointing would take place for crowning a new king or installing a new priest. In the New Testament, anointing of oil was for setting someone apart for ministry. But as a believer, each of us has been anointed as a priest (able to stand before God through the blood of Jesus) and as a minister to tell others the gospel and to show other’s God’s love.
God doesn’t promise us that all things will be good, but He does say that goodness and mercy will be with us while we dwell on this earth. His goodness in the midst and His mercy through salvation and relationship. That’s all we really need.
And finally, we have the hope of eternity – dwelling in the house of the Lord forever. If you have experienced being in the presence of God through praise nad prayer, then you can’t wait for that to be a constant in your eternal life. It is glorious and joyful.
May you know the goodness and mercy of God daily and hope in the promise of eternity.
