You Prepare a Table Before Me

I worry about what’s ahead, but I have a shepherd who prepares a table before me, so I wait, trust and see.

A friend recently sent a job offering to me. It was to come to a town called Echuca in Victoria, Australia, and be a snake catcher.

Yes, you read it right. Snake catcher.

My friend works in a local school as a caretaker. Part of his job is to make sure the school grounds and buildings are safe for the children, so he is regularly on the lookout for snakes.

To keep the children safe, he acts intentionally:

• He clears away areas where snakes might want to live.
• He installs nets and fences to stop snakes from entering the school grounds.
• He prepares a safe place for little children.

I like this illustration. It’s a beautiful picture of providential care. Have you ever had someone prepare somewhere safe for you?

Say you are going to visit Aunt Mildred and you’re going to stay the night. She will most likely prepare in advance. She may make the bed, prepare some food, and get rid of any snakes (especially if you live in Australia!).

When you arrive, you are welcomed into what has been prepared. You may feel a little embarrassed by the fuss put into this welcome, but ultimately, you feel cared for, loved, and safe.

You Prepare a Table Before Me

Probably the most read Psalm in the Bible is Psalm 23. It has brought comfort and hope to millions of people ever since it was penned by a shepherd boy in ancient Israel.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long. — Psalm 23

At the time of writing, this pastoral scene of shepherding care would have been deeply familiar to the listener. But few of us now have any direct connection with sheep.

Facial Eczema and Hidden Dangers

My very first job after leaving school was working on a sheep farm. The farmer asked me to monitor the level of the fungus Pithomyces chartarum growing in the pasture.

This fungus grows at the base of the pasture when the weather is warm and moist. The fungus releases spores containing a destructive toxin called sporidesmin.

When consumed by sheep, the spores damage the animal’s liver. The facial skin peels off, leading to severe swelling, droopy ears, and intense restlessness. It is a horrible sight to see sheep suffering from this condition.

My task was to go out to the pastures, collect samples of soil and grass, and look at them under a microscope to count the spores. This allowed me to determine whether a particular paddock was safe for the sheep to graze in.

In essence, I was checking for microscopic snakes. I was preparing a place for vulnerable sheep to graze safely. I was preparing a table.

The Shepherd Goes Ahead

A popular understanding of Psalm 23:5 is that the “table” refers to a traditional dinner table. Yet, I have never seen a sheep sit at a table!

AI gives us another fake image!

I wonder if David, the shepherd boy, was playing with words, because he would have been intimately familiar with “tablelands.”

According to the Table-lands Bible Hub, these elevated plateaus carry deep spiritual meaning:

• They symbolize stability, abundance, and divine provision.
• Their elevated nature represents a place of closeness to God and a refuge of security.
• They offer a protected, fertile plateau safe from hidden predators.

A good shepherd goes ahead to “prepare the tableland.” Water holes are cleared, poisonous weeds are uprooted, and predators or snakes are removed. In full view of those enemies, the shepherd carefully prepares the ground.

I am not looking for the lavish table covered in wealth that we hear about in toxic prosperity teachings. I am looking for the simple provision of what is needed for the day. What has the shepherd prepared in advance to meet my exact needs? What is he doing today for my tomorrow?

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him. Worship God if you want the best; Worship opens doors to all his goodness. — Psalm 34:8-9

Poem: You Go Ahead

You go ahead
A pathway to clear
You go ahead
A table to prepare

It’s a flat place
Where I can rest
Free of all predators
Table land souls request

You’re freeing that place
Of wolves and snakes
You’re going ahead
There’s no mistake

You’re right beside
Rod and staff comfort still
I look back
And see where you’ve been

It’s a millimetre walk
To change my point of view
I’m stubborn and resistant
Old Ram Old Ewe

May I see
In evidence today
How you’ve stepped out in front
Preparing me the way

I will focus my attention
On gifts given today
Thanking you for manna
Left along the way

Help me to trust
You’ve got it all in hand
You’re going ahead
Predator free flat land

You go ahead
You prepare a place
Help me see today
Your providential grace

Quotes to Consider

• “You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Spirituality is about what we do with our unrest.” — Ronald Rolheiser
• “Control eventually gives way to mystery and the letting go of control. Suddenly, we are not in charge.” — Richard Rohr
• “Comfort is the absence of tension; growth requires a swim in murky, dangerous waters.” — Dan Allender
• “Any approach to life that doesn’t center in trust eventually produces misery.” — Larry Crabb
• “Too often, our version of trusting God carries with it an expectation of what God should do… Without noticing it, we tend to trust God to do what we think a loving God ought to do. An honest look at what we mean when we use the word trust would likely turn up a subtle demand, a stubborn sense of entitlement to whatever good things we’d like God to give us.” — Larry Crabb
• “In trust, we open our hearts and experience God’s love, which overcomes fear and enables us to give rather than constantly seek to get.” — Timothy R. Jennings
• “When you stand before Me [God] in mystery, you will eventually rest within Me in trust. When you can’t figure Me out, you will give up the illusion of predictability and control and discover the joy of freedom and hope.” — Larry Crabb, 66 Love Letters (Job)

Questions to Answer

1. What would it be like to have someone go ahead of you and prepare a place for you where you can eat, drink, rest, and sleep in perfect safety?

2. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, said these words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Do you think Jesus might be using Psalm 23 as another sign of his providential care for us?

3. Going ahead, preparing a place. When someone is coming to visit you, do you prepare in advance? Why?

Formation Exercise

• Looking back, how has the Good Shepherd prepared a table for you in the now? You can count your blessings, naming them one by one, but focus specifically on noticing the small, subtle ways God has provided the simplest of things.

Further Reading

• Going Through a Wave of Anxiety: The Providence of God
• I’m Anxious God
• How to Change The Anxious Motion out of the Emotion

Barry Pearman

Photo by Biegun Wschodni on Unsplash