Carried to the Table

SCRIPTURE: “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” 2 Samuel 9:7 NIV

THOUGHT: The story of King David and a little boy, made lame because his nurse dropped him while running for their lives, has been on my mind and heart for a month now. The little boy was named Mephibosheth, and he would have been a prince in the house of his father, Jonathan, who would have been king instead of David. But it was not to be. Still, Jonathan and David were best friends, and when both Jonathan and his father, Saul, were killed in battle, David mourned, asking around, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness (v. 3)?”

And so, lame and comparing himself to a dead dog, the boy accepts the invitation to eat with the sons of David, and does so all of his life – despite the fact that King David gives him back his grandfathers’ lands, houses, and servants. He’s there every day because he wants to be, and that speaks volumes about David’s heart toward him.

But what does that have to do with me? Well, I’ve always wanted to be like David. Strong. Brave. Kind. Fiery for God’s reputation. Writer of hundreds of songs. Well-loved by God and a whole country. Not too much to ask, right? But what has occurred to me as I’ve dwelt with this story of grace, strangely reminiscent of a story Jesus told of a prodigal son, is that I’m a lot more like Mephibosheth than I am David. Broken. Lame. Hungry and thirsty for grace and acceptance. Undeserving of a place at the king’s table, but carried there anyway – to my place. Reserved for me! Not yours, not two or six places, but one that I’ve been invited to. The king isn’t under duress or duty to have me there; I’m there because I’ve been invited. He is powerful, and he is kind.

We used to have a saying in a recovery ministry I participated in, “keep your face at the table.” By God’s grace, that is exactly what I will do. I have a home, a family, and food of my own, but at the king’s table I find even more hope and grace and meaning and acceptance. My two lame feet may persist, but my association with the king will too. May it be the same for you.

SONG: Carried to the Table https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1APIy9KbwM

PRAYER: Oh God, thank you for grace. Thank you for a place at the most important table in the world. We don’t deserve it, but you invited, and by your grace, we will come there again and again and find joy and satisfaction that can’t be found anywhere else.