You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Psalm 23:5 AMP

Sometimes we mistakenly believe that the key to peace is the absence of conflict, but the key to peace is not the absence of conflict; it’s the presence of God. 

Psalm 23:6 reminds us that God prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. This means that while our enemies are watching, while our enemies are pursuing, while our enemies are surrounding us, God is preparing a table for us. This means within the conflict God is there–within the conflict God is with us. God does not always remove us from the struggle, but He does allow us to take refuge under the shadow of his Almighty wings. (Psalm 91).

Here is what we must remember: In the midst of our struggle, God. God is anointing; God is preparing; God is refreshing; God is filling. In the midst of the struggle, it’s not about us; it’s about God. It’s about what God can do, is doing, and will do for those who hear His voice.

Throughout God’s Word, oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The notes in the Amplified Bible I have state that it was customary in ancient times for the host to offer oil to his guests as a way to refresh them when it was hot.  In other words, what David refers to in Psalm 23:6 is God’s refreshing in the heat of battle. The refreshing doesn’t come after the struggle; it comes within it. In the midst of the conflict God gives us His Holy Spirit to refresh, to renew, and to equip us. Our cup overflows as we fight when we go to God in the midst of the battle.

When we allow God to be our host, we will always have a table and always be refreshed, even in the midst of the most heated battle.

So are you in the midst of a struggle today? Do you feel surrounded by the enemy? Are you looking for a place to hide? Then allow the truth of Psalm 23 to encourage you. God is with you. God is for you. And God will never let you go. Even in the midst of the struggle, God is there.