Setting the Table

Well, after all the talk of turkey and stuffing, Thanksgiving is over. While I can't say that it's my favorite holiday of all time, it's always pleasant to gather together with those we love (but hardly ever see) and give thanks for everything we're blessed with...and eat lots of delicious food, of course.

Setting the table on Thanksgiving is always different from setting it for a regular meal- it requires napkin folding, properly placed silverware, fragile goblets, and plenty of Martha Stewart-inspired decor. Though it's not a tedious process, it certainly doesn't compare with the joy that comes with devouring (politely, of course) a fantastic meal.

The evening of Thanksgiving, I was about to go to bed when I felt a pressing to pray for someone I know who is currently going through a difficult season. As I prayed and began to press deeper into God's presence, He began surrounding me with Himself in a very real, beautiful way. But it wasn't instantaneous- it took nearly an hour before I began to feel at peace and could finally go to sleep.

Most of the time my prayer life isn't this vivid- I usually lose interest before I reach the true feast of God's presence. It's almost like I set the table and then say, "Wow, that was a great table-setting time!" and put all of the dishes in the sink. But it's those first few minutes of prayer that prepare our hearts and focus our minds for the feast of His presence that we're about to receive. If we give up early on, we're missing out on the most beautiful part of having a relationship with Jesus- partaking in passionate, intimate communion with Him.