66 DAYS TO DRAW CLOSER TO CHRIST AND FORTIFY YOUR FAITH
by Louie Giglio
Have you ever wondered what the world’s most expensive table might be like? Me neither. But I saw a headline of an article recently that caught my attention, and, of course, I ended up reading the whole thing.
Turns out the world’s most expensive table is called the Tufft pier table, named after the guy who built it: Thomas Tufft. (Imagine what a good marketer could do if Thomas were in business today. Built Tufft!) Crafted in 1776, this table was sold to a general store owner from Lumberton, New Jersey, named Richard Edwards. All that sounds pretty normal, right?
Now comes the crazy part. A little more than two hundred years later, one of Edwards’s descendants sold that same table at a Christie’s auction for $4.6 million! Here’s how the New York Times reported on the sale:
The prize of the sale was a Philadelphia console or pier table with
a Chinese- style apron of pierced fretwork, tall legs, narrow ankles
and finely detailed ball- and- claw feet. The rococo rarity, carved by
Thomas Tufft in 1775–76, was sold for $4.6 million on Jan. 20,
becoming the most expensive table in the world. The price was well
above the presale estimate of at most $1.5 million.
When I first read that, I thought, Umm, okay How do narrow ankles translate to four-and-a-half million bucks?
I mean, what is more commonplace in the world today than a table? Everybody has one. More than one, probably. Our homes are packed with them, from dinner tables to breakfast nooks to end tables to bedside tables to coffee tables. Go to most parks and you’ll find a whole line of picnic tables sitting out there on the grass, free for anyone to use. Or just throw a piece of plywood on top of some cinderblocks, and boom! there’s a table.
And yet . . .
The more I think about it, the more I realize tables have a symbolic value within our culture. Tables are connected to some of the most important and meaningful moments of our lives.
When we’re at home, for example, we gather around a table with those nearest and dearest to us. We have first dates at tables. We celebrate golden anniversaries at tables. We forge new friendships at tables. We teach our kids important lessons at tables. We even make business deals by shaking hands over and signing papers on conference room tables.
In a lot of ways, then, a table is an icon of influence. Of access. When you let someone join you at a table, you’re inviting them in. Bringing them close. Opening yourself in a way that’s vulnerable. So, yeah, I guess I can see why tables are valuable. Does that mean I’m going to break the bank the next time I need some new dining room furniture? In a word, nope. But I do want you to consider the importance of the table in your own life. Specifically, what I call the table of your mind.
Recently I wrote a book called Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table. It was inspired in part by Psalm 23:5, which says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” I love the imagery of that verse. In my mind’s eye, I see a green field where my enemies are prowling around, looking for a way to destroy me. Yet right there—right in the middle of the wolves and the hyenas—I see the Good Shepherd setting up a table and inviting me over. I don’t have to worry when I sit down at that table. I don’t have to protect myself or say anything to justify myself against my foes. Why? Because I’m at the table with the King of the Universe.
Unfortunately, it’s been my observation that many people, myself included, have a terrible habit of pulling out a chair and gesturing to those ravenous wolves prowling around the perimeter: Come on over. Have a seat. We open ourselves to the Enemy. We give Satan access to our minds and our hearts.
Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table is my call for all followers of God to take back our tables. To stand up in our Christ-given authority and rid ourselves of negative influences. To shut our doors against the lies, the doubts, and the fears Satan whispers so consistently and so persistently after he weasels his way into our space.
Ridding ourselves of negative influences is a critical step in winning the battle for our own hearts and minds. If you haven’t had the chance to read Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table, you may find it helpful alongside this sixty-six-day journey.
My goal for this book is to give you the next necessary step. Because once you’ve removed what’s harmful from your table, you need to actively open some space for what is most helpful—and there is nothing more helpful in your life and mine than a genuine, thriving relationship with Jesus Christ.
At the Table with Jesus is an invitation to do just what the title suggests: to sit down with Jesus at the table of your mind. To give Him access and influence in the deepest way possible. To fully trust that He is good and that He alone has your best interest at heart.
What does that look like? I’m reminded of Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” In my mind, I still see the same green field. I still see the table God has prepared for me in the midst of my enemies. But now there’s something new, something powerful and protective. Now I see a fortified tower built around and above that table. Can you see it too? Huge cut stones, stacked and cemented. A rising wall on all four sides. Impenetrable.
That fortified tower is created by the presence of Jesus at your table. He is the One we run to when we need to find safety. Security. Fulfillment. Purpose. He is the One who fortifies our minds against the attacks of the Enemy.
In my latest book, At The Table With Jesus we spend sixty-six days exploring eleven foundational truths about who Jesus is:
Jesus is God.
Jesus is human.
Jesus is our Savior.
Jesus is a Rabbi.
Jesus is a teacher.
Jesus is I am.
Jesus is Lord.
Jesus is our friend.
Jesus is Head of the church and our great High Priest.
Jesus is the Lamb of God.
Jesus is King.
You could think of each of these truths as a block in the fortified tower surrounding your mind and your heart. It’s my sincere hope you will develop a deeper connection with Jesus during this journey. I hope you will find greater confidence in Christ as your strong tower. And I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to saturate yourself in Christ—to soak in the truth of who He is, what He values, and how He is working—so you can live with confidence and clarity as His disciple.
As a fellow pastor, I know the struggles we can often face. The burdens we may carry. I want to encourage you from one pastor to another. Take time to sit down at the table with Jesus and fortify your faith with truth.
Why you need this book
At the Table with Jesus invites readers to sixty-six days of rich engagements with the Good Shepherd, providing deeper truths, power, and connection to walk through life’s troubles.
Through practical daily devotions, At the Table with Jesus invites readers to sit at the table with the Good Shepherd, building a habit of living life with him. The journey starts in Psalm 23 but takes the reader throughout all of Scripture to build a stronger relationship with the God of the universe.
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