The Table of the Lord

                        Lev 24:6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row,
                        upon the pure table before the LORD.

                        PS 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
                        mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

                        Luke 22:30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom,
                        and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

                        1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils:
                        ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

                        Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun… Come and gather
                        yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

From beginning to end the Bible speaks of a table which God has set up. While libraries of books have been written on the doctrines of the “Communion Table”, they have distracted us from a fuller understanding of The Table of the Lord. The image of this table appears in the tabernacle, the temple, the private chambers of prophets, the halls of kings, the upper-room, church gatherings and at the end of the age is even a "the great feast”.

An experience common to all humanity is the dining table, where food and drink are laid out and all the activities of our lives are nourished. In Africa or Asia this might be no more than a woven mat placed on the ground, while in the West, iconic images of Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” are brought to mind. A thread which has been woven throughout the scriptures and is experienced in the daily lives of all mankind must have its origins in God; so we are not talking about just the tables of men, but the Table of the Lord.
                       
                        But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
                        Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him
                        ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that
                        sent me, and to finish his work.   (John 4:32-34)

                        Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup
                        which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?   (John 18:11)


Jesus considered doing the will of God as nourishment placed on His table, the cross like a cup given Him to drink, the ministry to the Samaritan woman as secret food which even His disciples knew nothing of. On this table is served the will of God for our lives, the things which God Himself has set before us. In His position as God and Father over his own household, He laid before us a ministry, so personal in quality; it is laid out only for you. Small and great callings, bitter and sweet servings, large and small helpings, all intended for the nourishment of lives.
                       
                       Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
                        thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (PS 23:5)


The Table of the Lord is the place of prayer in which we receive our purpose and priorities. Contrary to our tendency to lay our needs before Him, here God lays His needs before us, as His will and instruction for our lives. Without the Table of the Lord it is impossible to be truly nourished in our lives: our scriptural studies will have no focus on the realities of life and quickly become only personal exercises in private ethics. Without it, our prayers will quickly dwindle into “self-focused-askings” over things we are told to take no thought for. Simply, without doing the will of God, why should we expect to be nourished by God?

                        For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any
                        would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some
                        which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
                        Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ,
                        that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. (2Thes 3:10-12)
                        

If our prayer life has become stale, could it be that we are only spending our time chattering away with requests for our needs and paying little attention to the needs of God's heart? Have we become spiritual busybodies walking disorderly, not filling our lives with the will of God, but bloated with our own moral preoccupations? Has our time in the scriptures been the spiritual food God intended it to be, or is it the stale bread of ethical behavior and private conformations of our own godliness? Prayer begins not with our requests, but with the will of God, at the Table of the Lord.

                        Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
                        Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
                        Give us day by day our daily bread.  (Luke 11:2-3)

The Door of Prayer

                                  
     
                                   … Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight,
                                   and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in
                                   his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he
                                   from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut,
                                   and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
                                                                                                                                     (Luke11:5-7)


The needs of others can surprise us. When needs are presented which are beyond our faith, beyond any words of scripture we know and beyond all our personal experience, we discover we have nothing to set before them.  At the appearance of great need a sense comes over us that we have suffered a humiliating failure in God, one in which we ourselves are deficient, as if we are unfaithful stewards, because we have nothing to offer. We leave their company with a promise of future prayer, but as our private attempt begins, we come face-to-face with the door of prayer, a door which we have found shut.  

Our humanity is against us opening it: “It’s late”, “I don’t know how to pray”, “I am ashamed, for I have judged myself lacking!” Our culture is against us, for we have learned that to meet practical needs we must have practical activity, and prayer we have dismissed as exactly the opposite. Any need, weakness, or lack on our part is felt to be a shameful circumstance and not equal to the self-reliant backbone of our ancestors. We have kept the appearance of self-reliance, we have always played it safe, never place ourselves in a position in which we are not supported: financially, spiritually, and practically. Having done these things we ourselves have shut the door of prayer behind us, and these actions we have called wisdom.

The plan of God for prayer is a divine plan, made of divine wisdom, which hides the secrets of prayer from those without a heart after God. Hearts that look for systems or methods of approaching God may pray by closing their eyes offer a few pious requests and ending in the name of Jesus; but for them there is no answer from beyond the door. In the face of this surprising need we realize our own lack: we have no answers, no training and no method sufficient and when we turn toward the door of prayer we find it shut.

The entrance is opened to those possessed by faith, hope, love, humility, poverty and dependence upon God, even to those whom confess their need for such things; but curiously closed to those who have only heard of their existence, but possess not their substance. Feelings of helplessness, lack and dependence must be our constant companion in prayer; for when we have nothing to offer, this is all that is required.  

In the course of writing this entry I have been told that this is the most depressing few paragraphs some have ever read: I am inclined to say that they are right, but I will change them. We have for too long tried to reach God through our faith, our self-confidence and our doctrinal correctness; of such stones are the foundations of Babylon made, not the New Jerusalem. Come to the door of prayer with your need, lack, sickness, bankruptcy, shame, and pain; then He will meet you there and open. There you will find provision, for yourself and for others; you will find His sufficiency, a river flowing through the deepest parts of you.

... and yes, and He will answers your prayers too.

Ask

 
                                                And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;
                                                seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
                                                unto you.
                                                                                                                 (Luke 11:9)

Our first reading of the verse seems to be the ultimate key to answered prayer: expressed in a “cause and effect” style which harmonizes with our technical input-output world. The simple acceptance of this spiritual truth might have rewarded with answers from God at first, but this did not continue for long. A short while after we joyfully discovered this verse, we painfully discarded it, but with such promises as “answers from God” and the “authority of scripture” at risk, we dare not speak publically of our disappointment, or accuse God directly of lying. We cast the verse aside like a puzzle piece we have not found a place for, but are confident we will.

We had taken it to mean that “if we just took the time to pray, God would reward us with an answer”, so by asking, our part is done; but our experience over time does nothing to prove this verse true and has not given us the answers we were seeking. We ask ourselves, “Why when it simply says, “ask, it will be given you”, does it not give me unlimited access to answered prayer?” The answer, though it adds a condition, holds much greater riches and practical blessings than we first imagined.  

The Greek word for “ask” is more descriptive than its English counterpart, so when “ask” is translated, a subtle meaning is stripped away which leaves us with only “the action of making a request”. Vines Expository Dictionary has eight words which are translated “ask” in the KJV, and this is only one of them. The word means “to ask from one lesser, to one greater”; much more meaning than we had originally given it. Viewing this as only cause and effect was simplistic view, but now we find a new condition placed on us and the scripture demanding of the pray-er more than just the act of praying, but an attitude of heart.

Our altered view does not mean we have been cheated; on the contrary the new condition makes it is significantly richer. Now the times when we feel the smallest in our own estimation, feel the neediest and without the faintest hint of drawing toward prayer becomes the very circumstance to which the verse is speaking. Recognizing our position as needy, humbles us, and becomes the very attitude of heart to which He promised us an answer for our asking. Now our most down trodden moments, at the very height of our need, in our most pitiful circumstances, now become the Promised-Land and mother-load of answered prayer, and all for the same action of “asking” we had before. Truly He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (PS 138:6).

The door of prayer is not opened to those that simply “do the activity” of making a request  and demand they be rewarded with answer; but is thrown wide open to those who give glory to God as God, but see themselves as needy. They come before Him with boldness, though feeling their neediness and the needs of others which they cannot meet, buy they obtain mercy and find grace to help them. To these the door of prayer is open.

The Manifestation of Jesus

                         I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

                        Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me:

                         because I live, ye shall live also.

                        At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

                        He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:

                        and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him,

                        and will manifest myself to him.

                       

                        Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest

                        thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

                        Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words:

                        and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and

                        make our abode with him.

                                                                                                                        (John 14:18-21)

Prayer must be the most unimaginable thing to an atheist! A person goes off by themselves and speaks words into the air, to nothing and no one. From this perspective there could be no greater waste of time or more foolish scene than a man in prayer. Would it surprise you if the atheist is found to be you, and the truth of this scripture to be more real than we have dared to believe?

In an attempt to make Christianity less mystical to a skeptical, practical and scientific world, we have pretended that such scriptures about the manifestation of Jesus to be only a natural outcome of our religious activities: as if through devotion to the Bible and faithful church attendance we might somehow obtain an enlightened-similitude of Jesus Christ impressed on our souls, a better picture of the Savior in the imaginations of our hearts or through knowing His teachings we could have a better picture of the man. To this approach the world has asked the most obvious of all questions; “How would this manifestation differ from the manifestation of Buddha, or Mohamed, or other religious leaders?” The simple answer is, if that is our approach, there is no difference.

Could it be that Jesus meant what He said and more literally then we have dared portray? What injustice have we done to the gospel by portraying Jesus as more dead than alive? Could He actually be really alive and active as an individual, as God, and the literal leader of His church? Could He be the personal recipient of our prayers? Could He be so real that our prayers stop sounding as speeches made to a deity far removed, and more like a dialogue with a well respected and powerful friend whom we know well?

Christianity made to be devoid of the living God is non-distinct compared to the pantheon of the religions of the world, and leaves us no better prepared than an atheist in prayer. With the manifestation of Jesus, prayer becomes as natural to the Christian for spiritual life as breathing is for the natural life: because the object of prayer has been recovered and the declaration of “in Jesus name” can now be spoken with boldness before the Father.

We have said the right words when speaking of salvation, saying that a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” is the only way to be saved, but as soon as the person is converted to the faith we excuse the term from meaning a real relationship with God, and leave them with only devotion toward God, rather than fellowship with Him. To take the term “relationship” to mean only the exercise of our devotions toward God closes us off from the life of prayer: leaving us only with a duty we find impossible to perform. The same can be said of prayer as with salvation: not only does it require a “personal relationship with God”, it is the very reality and activity of that relationship.

In the most practical of terms, the manifestation of Jesus is not a projection of our thoughts about who He is, a recollection of all that we know about Him or a construct from our learned minds; it is His actual personhood present with us during prayer. We might say this is the “presence of God” as commonly expressed in charismatic and pentecostal circles, but it is more than these terms can hold; for we are speaking of the manifestation of the Lord Jesus Himself.

All of the scriptures about Him, all of the learning about Him has not been wasted or useless, but compared to the manifestation of Jesus Christ Himself, these have been only misty shadows. Indeed the gospels have re-presented Him enough that when praying, having not seen His form, we can identify Him when He speaks. Many times I have seen the same Jesus of the Bible alive and well while praying; asking me the same piercing questions as the Jesus of the Bible.

The questions He asks are the questions of God to a man, which are not of God’s ignorance, but are revelations themselves. Can you hear Him in the garden calling to Adam, “Adam where art thou?” God already knew! Can you hear Him asking for the coin used to pay taxes to Cesar? “Whose image and superscription is this?” This is an inquiry based on knowledge, not on ignorance: asked for the sake of the responders, not the responses. When I come with questions and hear, “I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you…” This is the same Jesus portrayed in the scriptures; it is Him who we have encountered in prayer.

                         For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged

                        sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints

                        and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

                        Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are 

                        naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

                        Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens,

                        Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

                        For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our

                        infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

                        Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,

                        that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                             (Hebrews  4:12-16)

The Word of God here is not speaking of the scripture, but the manifestation of Jesus Himself as we standing before Him in prayer. The writer calls Him “living and active”, “quick and powerful”, “zaō and energēs”, “living and strong.” He is sharp like a sword, His words and questions piercing right to core of matter. It is He who sees all, all of creation manifested in His sight, all creation laid bare and open to His eyes. It is Him who is touched with our feebleness, yet the writer say, “let us therefore come boldly”. This is the manifestation of Jesus Christ, and this is His throne of grace, just on the other side of the door of prayer.