Three Times at The Lord’s Table – Part One

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5 NKJV

Even though sixty years have passed, I can still hear my mother loudly calling, “It’s almost time for supper Peter! Get a move on and set the table!” But in this verse, no one told the Lord to set the table. He chose to do so on HIs own, and now His call goes out us. “You who have walked with me through the valley of the shadow of death. Come sit down, it’s almost time for dinner!” On a side note, I learned from my years serving in a Brazilian church that this passage in Portuguese renders the first section of the verse, “You prepare a table before me while my enemies watch,” Reading that, helped me picture a banquet table set up in a green meadow lying just beyond the valley of the shadow of death. In the distance, hungry wolves watch as we are invited to sit down at our Shepherds table. They howl, remembering that even their most wicked attempts to destroy us have failed and that now they must watch the Lord feasting with us and then filling our cups to overflowing at His table! Are you in a dark valley right now? Take heart, our Shepherd will walk by our side in the darkness, and He has prepared a banqueting table for us to share in the sunshine at its very end.

Photo by Lena Eggler on Pexels.com

Ready to Listen

I went running from my fears
To a dark and hidden place
But God sought me, and He found me
To show wonders by His grace

First by fiery trials and troubles
Then in hurricanes so wild
Next by earthquakes and with lightning
Last in voice just like a child

I sat quietly in silence
In the calm there after all
Then with words that gently whispered
Came the Savior's gentle call

"Come step out from your darkness
To the light of My new day
If you are ready now to listen
I will lead you on My way.”

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:11-12 NKJV

Ready to Listen
by Peter Caligiuri
copyright © 2025
All rights reserved


Waiting by the Brook

And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 1 Kings 17:6-7 ESV

God told Elijah to go to the brook Cherith, where he would be protected and provided for, but that brook in the desert probably didn’t seem like an ideal location. There also are times in our lives when it seems like we are just sitting by a brook, and God has forgotten us. Just like Elijah, our daily routine seems pointless and strange. But in that quiet place God puts a brook for us to drink from and during those silent chapters of our lives he often sends something or someone as humble as ravens to meet our needs.

Though the Brook Cherith eventually dried up, Elijah learned that God could take care of his needs in surprising ways. Elijah didn’t complain or worry, instead he patiently waited till God told Him what to do next. So, if like Elijah, it feels as if you are on a dead-end street remember that that God often cares for us in unusual ways, through unexpected people for as long as He determines, so we that can learn to trust Him and be ready to move on when the brook dries up!

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