10 Nov Feasting in the Presence of The Enemy

3.5 years ago Colby knew something wasn’t right in his body and we went from doctor to doctor seeking answers to try to understand what was going on. On April 9th, 2018, our 8th wedding anniversary, we received devastating news. The news we received was the kind that makes you feel like you got sucker-punched in the stomach.

We were tempted to wallow up in tears. To go home and sulk, yell, weep, sit in despair, throw a tantrum and lose all hope for our future. Any one of these responses would seem natural after receiving such news.

But we chose not to seek any of those responses and in the hours following leaving the hospital that afternoon, we made a decision that I believe changed the trajectory of the days and years to come.

Instead of choosing to do what made sense in the natural, we tapped into the strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit and clung to the truth in God’s Word. And on our 8-year-anniversary, hours after receiving devastating news, we got dressed up and went out to a fancy dinner to feast.

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:4-6

The only reason we were able to feast in the presence of the enemy that evening is because we knew the Lord was the one who had prepared the table for us, just as His Word says in the 23rd Psalm.

It was the decision we made in those first few moments to feast that I believe won the war in the spirit realm and became a prophetic act of claiming victory. Feasting let the enemy know he had no right to write our story. It drew a line in the sand declaring that no doctor’s report or diagnosis had the authority over God’s plans for our future. And I believe feasting shut the door to the temptation to fix our attention on the mountain in front of us as it was instead shifted to the only One who could move the mountain, Jesus Christ.

And as we feasted together over dinner, the atmosphere changed. What could have been filled with fear was filled with faith. What could have been filled with devastation was filled with excitement. What could have been filled with intimidation was filled with confidence.

I am not sure if in the moment I knew how powerful the decision would be to feast was but as I reflect upon that decision 3.5 years later, I now understand that choosing to feast, especially in the middle of one of the most devastating of circumstances, changed everything. I am forever grateful that a devastating diagnosis led us to live out Psalm 23 as all these years later we can now testify just how powerful feasting in the presence of the enemy really is. For Colby and I, feasting truly changed everything. 

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What difficult situation do you find yourself in? What enemies are currently surrounding you? As I shared 3 years ago and as I retold today, I believe the decision you make after receiving devastating news can truly change the trajectory of a situation. And I truly hope that you lean in to Psalm 23 as you too choose to feast in the presence of the enemy.